Total Drama Sci-Fi Showdown
by XBloodLegendX
Summary: This new season of Total Drama involves a whole new cast and a whole new spot. Taking place inside a building called the Drama Dome, the 24 contestants will take on sci-fi based challenges in virtual reality for 1 million dollars. Will they be legends across galaxies, or fade away in stardust? Find out now, on Total. Drama. Sci-Fi Showdown!
1. Chapter 1: Enter Virtual Reality

Chris stands by the gate of a large dome that is completely white in color surrounded by blue neon lights that encircle both top and mid part of the massive place. The host spreads out his arms as he flashes a smile at the camera. "Hello viewers, and welcome to Total Drama Sci - Fi Showdown! For this season, we decided to gather new contestants to participate in a sci-fi based competition for 1 million dollars!" He gestures to the large dome that is beyond the gate. "That is the Drama Dome, where the competition for 1 million dollars will take place. Different challenges will take place in there according to the program that will be set up to fit the needs of the said challenge. But everything will be covered when our contestants arrive. Hey, here they are now!"

A yellow bus pulls up near the gate and the door opens. The first one out was a tall man with ruffled brown hair wearing shades. He has a plain white shirt on with brown khaki pants. He looks at Chris and gave a short nod. "Hey, Chris. What's up?" He smiled and gave the host a high five.

"All's cool, Harvey. Go stand over there and put your things on the other side, alright?" Chris said to him as another person stepped off the bus. This one is a short girl with auburn hair that is done up in twin tails. She wears a green dress with red stockings and red shoes. She seems to not even pay much attention to Chris or Harvey as she walks to the side and puts her stuff down. "Hey Ivy. It wouldn't hurt to say a few words, you know." The host said to the girl.

Ivy looked at him and tilted her head. "Ah, hello. You must be the host. I'm Ivy, nice to meet you." She then looked down and hum to herself, oblivious to the weird gazes she's getting from both Harvey and Chris.

"Okay, that was weird." Harvey remarked in a whisper. His head whipped back to the bus as another girl stepped off from inside. This chubby girl had chin-length auburn hair and wore a blue and yellow sweater with a pencil skirt and sneakers. She held a phone in her hands which she used to take pictures of the Drama Dome and of the contestants.

"Omigosh! I'm, like, so excited to be here!" She said in a cheery voice as she skipped towards Ivy. "Hey there! Wanna be friends!?" She beamed at the humming girl. The latter looked at her and tilted her head.

"Well okay." Was all she said before looking down and humming to herself again. Harvey shook his head slowly and sighed.

"Welcome to the game, Betty. I see that you're pumped up for this." Chris said as Betty took a picture of the bus.

"Yeah, of course! Who wouldn't be? This is totes amazing! I'm in Total Drama! This is, like, the best day of my life!" She squealed as another contestant got off the bus. He had messy orange hair and a soul patch, and wore an unzipped dark green jacket over a black t-shirt with a yellow light bulb print in the middle and grey khaki pants with sandals.

"Hmm, I wonder why we were sent here." He thought aloud as he gazed up at the Drama Dome.

"Marvin! Are you ready to play?" The host asked the curious man as the latter went over to join Harvey.

"If I may ask, why are we here? I am aware that this season is sci-fi themed, but I don't see anything that fits that description anywhere." Marvin inquired as he tapped his chin in thought.

"All those details will be explained when everyone is here." Chris said dismissively at him. Just then, another man stepped off the bus. He's tall and muscular, with jet black hair and blue eyes. He wore a green collared shirt and black cargo pants. He looked at the cast, seeing Betty taking a selfie with Ivy though the latter wasn't paying attention and Marvin talking to Harvey.

"This cast doesn't look like much." He shook his head and sighed.

"Welcome, Desmond!" The host said with his trademark smile. Desmond sighed again and stood by himself a few meters away from Marvin and Harvey, who seem to be talking about the Drama Dome.

"Hey look! A new guy!" Betty gushed as she skipped over to Desmond. She immediately took a picture of him at the moment he turned to look at her. "So, what's your story? Here for the million? Here for a relationship? Here for the lolz!?"

"The first one would be the most accurate reason." He nodded with a poker face. "I don't care much for relationships or the 'lolz', as you put it. I plan on leading my team to victory and then abandon them in the long run."

"Well you pretty much just gave away your master plan." Harvey pointed out, clearly listening in on the conversation. Marvin seems to be deep in thought about something.

"Well I-" He was cut off as a soccer ball flew out of the bus and curved just enough to hit him in the side of the head. He staggered backwards and grunted. "Who threw that!?" He demanded.

A man jumped off the bus and had a broad smile on his face. "Yo I didn't really throw it, I kinda kicked it." He had dirty blonde fluffy hair, green eyes, and seems to be more tan than the rest of the current contestants. He wore a green jersey with the number '10' on the front and the name 'Kicksalot' on the back. He also wore green shorts and dark green sports shoes with white knee high socks. The ball rolled towards his feet and he stopped it by putting his left foot on top of it. The ball looks to be a soccer ball, with a few dirt on it.

"Meet Arnold Kicksalot, everyone. This guy is the ace striker of their soccer team, The Green Bolts." Chris said. Harvey and Marvin nodded in acknowledgment. Desmond still had an angry look on his face and his fists were clenched.

"Sup, dudes! I figured that I should try my luck in this game to hone my skills and all. Hope we all have a great time! For the lolz!" He pumped his fist in the air. Betty cheered and shook his hand vigorously.

"Yeah! Good to know there's at least one person out here who's here for the lolz." She beamed. It was then that another person stepped off the bus.

"Could you all shut up? Playing for the lolz is so immature and childish." A high-pitched voice said as the owner revealed itself to be a girl of short stature. She had round glasses on as well as a headband for her brown hair that reaches down to her lower back. She wore a fitted red shirt and blue skinny jeans. She had a scowl on her face and walked with purpose towards to where Arnold and Betty are. "I'd hate to be on a team with you." She scoffed as she stood by Ivy. The two shrugged and began talking about Arnold's soccer team.

"Welcome, Nelly. Looks like you know who you're up against." Chris said to the arrogant girl.

Nelly simply scoffed at his statement, as if its the most ridiculous thing she's ever heard. "You should be more careful when choosing your cast, Chris. You've baited a few worthless ones."

Marvin looked at her and pointed. "Are you saying that you'll outlast us?"

"Ha! Outlast? Not just that, I'll win it all!" She said haughtily.

"Bold statement." Said a feminine voice. A tall girl stepped off the dock, her black hair is in a ponytail and her green eyes hold a certain knowing look to it. She is wearing a black tanktop and brown trousers and boots. She also wore black fingerless gloves on her hands. "Do you really think you'll survive in this game?"

"Yeah! Of course I do. I'm even going to defeat you." Nelly said with a smirk as she stared into the new girl's eyes. She returned it with a balanced gaze.

The girl shrugged and chuckled. "If you say so. My name is Jane, the person who will prove you wrong." She said while going closer to the gate, inspecting the Drama Dome from that distance.

Nelly scoffed and looked away. Marvin stared after Jane for a long moment before looking down again and thinking to himself.

The next person that stepped off the bus is a man with average height. He's dressed a little formally, with a blue dress shirt, black leather pants and leather shoes. His black hair is neatly combed and he wears a smile on his clean face. "Hello, everyone. It is an honor to meet you all for the first time." He said in a thick British accent.

Chris smiled at him. "Wesley, welcome to the show, and to the country of course."

"It is an honor to play this game with you all." Wesley said nicely to everyone. The others looked towards him, even Ivy. Betty ran up to him and took a picture of him.

"Hey! Are you foreign?" She asked him excitedly. The man nodded.

"Yes. My name is Wesley Quinton Highsmith. I come from Great Britain, a place far away from here." He spoke in a velvet-like voice. Nelly gulped and slightly blushed as she stared at him, Marvin gave him the once over before thinking to himself again, and Harvey nodded in understanding of what he said. "I hope we can all get along, and remember that it is only a game."

Jane smirked. "Well I hope that the challenges don't ruin your fancy suit, fancy pants. You should have went for something more rural."

"I assure you, I will be all right." He smiled at her which caused her to blush and look away. Ivy opened her mouth as if to say something, then shook her head and closed it. The others didn't take notice of this.

"Well, here comes another contestant!" Chris exclaimed. Sure enough, another man ran out the bus. He was short in height, had blond unkept hair and a big smirk on his face. He wore a black t-shirt with a print of a skull in the middle, faded blue jeans and sneakers. He wore a necklace that looks like a fart cloud.

"Hehehehe. I wonder who the helpless victims are this time. Hehehehe." He chuckled to himself but was heard by everyone. He turned towards Desmond and approached him while holding a toy in his hand. The toy was a smirking boy with his butt sticking out with a hole in the middle of it. He pointed the hole at Desmond and squeezed the toy. It let out a very stinky gas, much like a fart, and it made Desmond stagger back in disgust. His face gave the impression that he was both terrified and disgusted by what he smelt.

"What is that!?" He yelled in horror and disgust. The boy just laughed like a maniac.

"Obviously, its a fart toy. One of my favorites, if I do say so myself." He grinned and skipped over to Nelly. "Hello, how do you fart?" He extended a hand towards her for a handshake. She scoffed and turned away.

"I'm not talking to you." She huffed. The boy snickered and addressed everyone.

"Listen up. The name's Felix. And don't you forget it."

"Why would I forget the name that will be eliminated first?" Desmond replied with a glare.

"Oh! He got you good!" Arnold exclaimed as he pointed his two index fingers at Felix. The boy just grunted and moved to stand beside Marvin.

The next one who stepped off the bus brought silence amongst the other contestants. He was tall and slender, with jet black hair and piercings in both his ears. He wore a plain gray hoodie, black pants and sneakers. He had his hands in his hoodie pockets and looked down as he approached the others. Betty hesitantly went over to him and held up her phone. "Um, would you like to t-take a picture with me?" She asked him in a friendly manner. He looked at her and glared with his crimson red eyes.

"No.", was all he said before standing by the gate and leaning against the wall, looking down again.

Chris shook his head and sighed. "That's Shane. Honestly I'm starting to regret ever accepting him here." He rubbed the back of his head. "But if I didn't, then this cast wouldn't be so diverse." He smiled his trademark smile and looked back again towards the bus. The next to arrive is a short girl who stepped off cautiously. She had golden wavy hair that reached her mid back, crystal blue eyes and a very clean face with slightly blushed cheeks. She wore a long and colorful dress and flat shoes. A small, shiny tiara rests on her head. She quietly stood beside Felix and the latter had a mischievous smile on his face. "Everyone, meet Phoebe. Your everyday doll faced girl."

Felix nodded slowly, still smiling. "Hey there, little girl. I'm Felix." He extended his hand for her to shake. She gasped and moved away from him.

"Um, it's n-nice to meet you. Um, I'm Phoebe." She said meekly. She looked around uncomfortably before Jane stepped in between them.

"Don't try anything funny, Felix." She glared at him.

The prankster raised his hands and turned away. Wesley frowned as he watched Felix go and then continued his conversation with Harvey and Betty.

"Should we be worried about him?" He asked. "I fear that he will do more trouble than good." He frowned.

Harvey glanced over at Jane and Phoebe, who seem to be talking with the latter just nodding at whatever Jane was telling her. "Nah, just take it easy. Don't stress over it."

"If you insist."

"He does act like a creep, though." Betty commented.

The next contestant who dropped off the bus is a slim girl wearing a green shirt under a forest green scarf, black leggings, and flats. She has fluffy black hair. She has a small scar across her left arm, and a sly grin on her face. Her green eyes scanned the crowd and at last she rested her eyes on Marvin, who seemed to notice her stare.

"My name is Delilah. It is a pleasure to meet all of you, hehe. " She glanced at everyone as she said this, then went closer to Marvin. The boy gave her the once over and tilted his head.

"You look like you have something to tell me."

"If you can give me the pleasure of your name, and company if I may be so bold." She still had that same grin on her face, and it also caught Arnold's attention. The soccer player wrapped his arm around Marvin's shoulders.

"Hey lady, take a chill pill. Marvin wants to focus on the game, right buddy?" He widely grinned at his friend who only shook his head in response.

"I'm sure she's just being friendly. Allies are important in this game as I've heard."

Delillah raised her eyebrow but only giggled. "Well, I just wanna make new friends here. Not just allies."

"Well if you say so. I'm Arnold, by the way." The soccer player introduced himself.

A boy stepped off the bus next. He wore a blue hoodie over a red undershirt and black cargo pants with combat boots. He is slightly more tan than most of the contestants, has shaggy brownish black hair, wore glasses, and had a neutral look on his face. When he got off, Jane looked his way and nodded in approval, probably because of his choice of clothing. "Everyone, let's welcome Terrance. Girls, I suggest you back off for now." Chris smirked. Terrance glared at him.

"Hmph. I'll be fine out here. As long as I have my stuff I can-"

"Oh right. I'll be confiscating your stuff." Chris held out his palm. "The knife please."

"What!? Why should I surrender it!?" He exclaimed. A few of the contestants gasped in shock.

"Hmm, so he's armed." Jane muttered. Phoebe looked terrified.

"Come on, Terrance. You know that lethal weapons aren't allowed on the show." Chris simply said.

"Um, but I need it-"

"Look, just compete fairly. Everyone else here seems to know what they're doing even without tools." He glanced at the others, Jane raised her eyebrow, Betty kept taking pictures, Wesley is conversing with Harvey, and Shane is still leaning against the gate. "Well, I'm sure they are."

Terrance sighed. "Fine." He surrendered his swiss army knife.

Jane walked over to him. "Hey, don't worry about it. I know you'll do good out here."

"Thanks."

The next one off the bus is a girl who basically hummed a tune while doing so. "Heya!" She greeted. She wore a pink shirt with a heart print and blue jeans. A scarlet colored jacket hung around her waist. She also wore one red armband on her right wrist and a multicolored bracelet on the other. She had flowing brown hair and a bright smile on her face and looked around enthusiastically. "I'm totally ready for this show!" She did a short jump of excitement.

Arnold pointed at her with two index fingers. "Yeah! This girl's got the spirit!" She ran over to him and gave him a high five then cheered. Nelly just sighed and rolled her eyes.

"This is Valerie. Our resident flirt." Chris said.

"Heya, Chris! I just know that this will be great!" Valerie exclaimed.

"Hehe, I wonder if that's what you'll think afterwards." Chris chuckled. The girl cocked her head sideways and looked at him confusedly to which he just waved his hand dismissively. "Nevermind. You'll find out soon."

The next girl that stepped off the bus was short in stature, had shoulder length jet black hair, and green eyes. "Get ready Total Drama for Tatiana The Chocobo Slayer is here!" She placed her hands on her hips and raised her head proudly. For her top she wore a blue t-shirt with two swords crossing as a print, a yellow short skirt with black shorts and boots that have winged ornaments on the ankle area. On her head is a chocobo hat. Some of the other contestants looked at her. Nelly, Arnold, and Felix all had confusing looks on their faces.

Felix spoke up. "Hey wait, why would you be so proud about slaying choco-"

"Greetings, Chris Mclean! I would like to meet my team now!" She gave a toothy grin at the host. Chris simply shook his head.

"Sorry Tatiana. But there are no prepared teams. Just wait for the others and I'll fill you all in." Tatiana frowned and went over to stand beside Felix and Betty. The latter immediately took her photo.

"Ooh, are you a gamer?" She asked Tatiana. She nodded and grinned at her.

"Yeah! Can't you tell? I'm Tatiana, and I'm pretty useful in challenges that require tower defense or turn based games or FPS. But overall I can dominate whatever you throw at me. Even Dark Souls!" She proudly said. Betty clapped her hands but Felix snorted.

"Yeah like there will be any of those here. Plus what's with the whole chocobo slayer thing? You think that's an achievement?" The prankster raised an eyebrow at her.

"What's a chocobo? Is it some sort of chocolate monster?" Betty scratched her head.

"Uh, no. Not exactly…" Tatiana said while avoiding Felix's gaze.

"Ah, I see. So this is the current cast." A tall man stepped off the bus, running his hand through his silver hair as he did so. He wore a trench coat and trousers and has an intense presence. Everyone but Ivy and Shane felt a little intimidated by him. "I must say, what an interesting bunch of people you all are."

"How can you assume that? You barely even met us." Nelly snorted.

The man stepped towards her and gave her the once over. "True, but simply judging from the way you all dress and how you converse with one another is enough to make me come to this conclusion." He walked over and shook Chris' hand. "It is a pleasure to be here, Chris." He said with a small smile.

"The pleasure's all mine, Nicholas." Chris smirked. "Go join the others now." Nicholas nodded once and stepped aside.

The next person to step off the bus is a girl that strode towards them in elegance. She wore a confident smile on her face, twirling her finger in her long and curly purple hair. Her amber eyes scanned the crowd. She wore frilly lolita dress made of expensive cloth and ribbons. She also wore a necklace around her neck and a ring on her finger. "Hello everyone. My name is Nataline of House Louise. It will be an honor competing with you all."

Nelly muttered under her breath. "Sheesh, what's with people and formalities I swear."

Chris clapped his hands together. "Well she introduced herself so it saves me the effort. Go ahead and mingle with the rest." Nataline simply smiled and walked over to where Nicholas and Wesley are, who seem to be talking.

"House Louise? I've heard of that family." Nicholas said to her as she approached, letting his eyes wander down at the signet ring she wore around her finger. "Ah, but where are my manners? My name is Nicholas Blackburn." He bowed.

"And I am Wesley. I'm from House Highsmith." He took her hand and kissed the back of it. Nataline giggled.

"Well it is an honor to meet you both. I hope we can all have a memorable time in this competition."

"Not to sound rude, but why did you not consider wearing something more…..fit for this type of thing?" Nicholas inquired. "Other people here are dressed for the occasion."

Nataline giggled again and shook her head. "Don't you worry about me. I'll be fine."

Nelly overheard their conversation and rolled her eyes. The next one was a short boy who tentatively steps off the bus and stands in front of the contestants. He has a mop of hair of crimson and black, black eye shadow and crimson lips, and had a left earring with the design of a skull. He wore a black shirt with red blotches scattered on it as a design and a black jacket over it. He wore long black jeans and sneakers. With a poker face, he went towards the side and began scribbling on his notebook.

"That's Cedric everyone-"

"Cyrus. Call me Cyrus." The emo boy said without looking up from his notebook. "I won't answer to that name cuz it isn't the identity I'm using."

"Oookay." The host said, weirded out.

Valerie and Harvey approached him. "Heya there!" The former greeted with a wink. "I'm Valerie and this is Harvey. Love the hair and the makeup, by the way."

"Thanks." Cyrus replied nonchalantly.

"So, uh, you a writer or something?" Harvey asked him as he tried to peer over his shoulder. The emo abruptly closed his notebook.

"No peeking." He said intently. "What do you guys want?"

"We wanted to welcome you, silly. We can be friends too if you want." Valerie said in a sweet voice as she inched closer and closer to Cyrus, smiling.

"Not interested. I only came here for inspiration. My story demands it." He said dismissively.

"Then you should worry about elimination yo. If you're out, you can't find inspiration." Harvey shrugged.

"I can help you get that inspiration." Valerie said suggestively as she placed her hand on hie forearm. Cyrus simply shrugged her off.

Cyrus narrowed his eyes at both of them. "Don't worry about me. Worry about yourself." He went back to writing.

Valerie had a sad look on her face and Harvey was about to say something when an electric guitar sound rang out. A girl jumped off the bus and strummed an electric guitar, creating another sound. "YEAH!" She screamed at the top of her lungs. "Who's ready to get this game going!?" She pumped her fist in the air. She had short magenta colored hair, bright green eyes, and an even brighter smile. She wears a short open leather vest and a small purple tanktop, ripped jeans, and black boots with spikes on the ankle side. She wore spiked bracelets on both her wrists and a tattoo of a dark blue star can be seen in her lower left gut. Slinging her guitar over her shoulder casually, the girl pointed at her with her thumb. "Sup, I'm Sarah, your resident rocker!"

Chris chuckled. "See? Why can't you guys be as energetic as her?" Shane's grunt, Desmond's shrug, and Ivy's tilted head was his only response. "Whatever. Welcome to Total Drama, Sarah. Go mingle with the rest."

The next one off the bus is a man who wore a plaid white shirt, and brown shorts and sneakers. He has brown colored eyes and a slender build so one might think he is just an ordinary boy. However, one thing stood out, and that's his hair. Posing as his hair is a white powdered wig and that is what got most of the contestants to stare at him. He seemed to be staring at a music sheet and mumbling under his breath.

"Welcome to the game, Richard." Chris greeted with his usual smile. "Why so serious?"

"Shh, I'm trying to imagine the sounds of this piece in my head." He furrowed his brow and continued to stare at the paper while going off to the side. Betty tried to talk to him but he just shushed her.

Wesley saw him and tilted his head, turning to face Nataline. "I wonder why he chose to wear a wig."

Nataline added, "Or you know, why his other clothes don't match up."

Nicholas placed his hand on his chin in thought. "Perhaps he's trying to live the life of a conductor, but is failing in the fashion department."

The next one off the bus is a girl wearing a cowboy hat with an acoustic guitar in her hands, strumming a country melody. "Howdy y'all. The name's Cassie from downtown." She smirked and tipped her hat forward. It is evident that she has a strong country accent. She wore a white blouse, loose pants, and a bonnet. Around her neck is a plain necklace. She has long and straight brown hair and blue eyes.

"Everyone, this is Cassie. She's from the country so don't get weirded out by how she talks. Oh and did I mention she's Spanish?" Chris chuckled and Cassie only shook her head.

"N'vermind that. I have a good ol' chance to win this thing, just like y'all." She stated. Arnold approached her and so did Valerie.

"Heya gorgeous! Damn, country girls are something else, aren't they? I like what I see." Valerie licked her lips and winked. Arnold grinned and waved.

"Howdy. I'm from the country too. Though I moved out when I was little so I didn't pick up much from there."

Cassie placed her guitar in its case. "It's all good. Maybe we can all be friends y'know."

"Aw, but I wanted to be more than just friends."Valerie pouted and Arnold gently hit the back of her head.

"You flirt with anything that breathes, you know?"

"I try." She smiled. All three of them laughed.

Sarah approached them and stared at Cassie's guitar case. "So you play anything else aside from country music?"

"Not really, no. Got no exposure from back home." She said awkwardly.

"Alright, here comes our next contestant!" Chris announced. Just then, an arrow flew from inside the bus and hit the wall next to Shane's head. The man glared at the entrance of the bus, when an average heighted boy stepped out. He was slightly toned, wearing a tight sleeveless shirt, cargo shorts and brown running shoes. His eyes were a bit narrow and he held a bow in his right hand while twirling an arrow in his left. "Way to make an entrance, Jude. Although we're gonna have to confiscate that. Can't bring weapons here, bud."

Jude made a 'tsk' sound and stopped twirling the arrow. "I knew this would happen. That's why I had my fun first." He returned the gaze Shane was giving him.

In the end, Shane just grunted and looked down again, mumbling to himself. Jude walked over to where Nelly was standing and decided to talk to her. "Hey, you look competent."

"And you look Asian." Nelly replied immediately. "So you can use a bow and arrow? Whatever. How will that help you out here? In case you didn't read the app, this is sci-fi themed." She snorted. Jude simply waved his hand dismissively.

"It is a skill. The real talent…heh." He turned and walked away, not bothering to finish the statement. "It's alright if you don't wanna team up, no big deal." He gave a sidelong smirk. Nelly clenched her fist and furrowed her brow but said nothing. Jane stared after Jude while Phoebe gulped when she saw the arrow.

"Looks like we're down to our last contestant. Everyone, please welcome Lucy!"

A moment passed, and then another. It seemed no one was getting off the bus. "Anytime now, Lucy." Chris said irritably. And as if on cue, a girl walked out. She had fluffy orange hair that is held by a plain headband, and beady blue eyes. She wore a blouse with flowery designs, and leggings. She also wore silver earrings. With a look of shock on her face, she immediately hurried down and joined the others.

"Sorry guys. I was still fixing my stuff. Gotta double check to see if everything's in place." She said sheepishly. Chris sighed.

"Well you only ruined that moment of suspense and hype. Whatever, everyone's here now so let's get this show on the road!" He exclaimed while raising his hands in the air. He then took out a remote and pressed a button which slowly made the gate open. Chris went through and the others followed, with most of them gazing at the open apace around the dome.

"Hashtag, best day ever!" Betty exclaimed.

Marvin looked around. "I see. This is a pretty cool place." Delilah giggled beside him.

"I know right. Like, I think I'm gonna have fun here." She inched closer to him. Valerie saw this and raised her eyebrow.

"Why don't you show off some of your skills?" Arnold smirked from beside Valerie. The flirt just shrugged and grinned.

"Nah, not worth it. Let her have her fun. It's nice watching the newbies do things. They're funny."

Felix, Richard, and Tatiana brought up the rear. "Hey dude, you gotta look at the road sometimes." The prankster told Richard who is walking but not watching where he is going. "Why did you even bring sheet music? This is a reality show, not a concert."

"Not that you're dressed for a concert, either way." The gamer girl raised her eyebrow at his clothes and wig.

"You both are just jealous that I got musical talent." The boy huffed. "Someday, you'll see me in the big stage. And the best orchestra will play my songs." He stared up at the sky as he daydreams. He then tripped over a rock and fell face first.

"Like I said, eyes on the road bud." Felix laughed and fist bumped Tatiana.

Chris then stopped at the entrance of the great dome. He pressed another button and the doors opened, revealing a spacious room with many neon lights and beams surrounding it, giving it a sci-fi feel to it. Occupying the big space in the middle is a large hologram that is currently showing the outside of the gate which is where they were once at, in full color. A massive control panel lies in front of it, with blinking lights a sign of its activeness. At far ends of the dome are 24 human sized pods that are grouped into 8. The contestants gawked and stared at everything, with some already separating from the group to go look at the facilities.

"Whoa look at this, y'all! Are we seriously gonna get on these thingys?" Cassie tapped a pod with Desmond standing behind her.

"And here I thought only astronauts can use them." He remarked.

Nicholas, Nataline, Cyrus, and Terrance inspected the hologram. Terrance looked at the control panel while Cyrus seems to be taking down notes.

"Full color holograms…."The emo muttered while writing.

"I did not know such technology existed." Nataline said while acknowledging the hologram. Nicholas looked at the base, which is a small flat disc-like material that spreads out light.

"Certainly interesting. I wonder how much this all costs."

"I wonder if this is all commercialized." The lady thought aloud.

"Well guys, after inspecting the control panel, I gotta say that I have absolutely no clue how to use this." Terrance said when he joined them.

"Well perhaps it is-"

"Everyone, can I have your attention?" Chris suddenly said. Beside him is Chef who is wearing what looks to be like a motion capture body suit. "It is time we start the first challenge that will determine your teams. Here are the mechanics." He pointed at the hologram. Chef began pressing buttons and in an instantly the image shown switched to that of a jungle. "This is the area you'll use for the challenge. We're gonna have you go to the pods and soon you'll sent to a virtual reality which is this jungle. Here you have to find the three outposts that lie somewhere, serving as a means to determine your teams. When eight people have reached a certain outpost, the door will automatically lock preventing any more people from entering."

"Seems too easy! I got a knack for this sort of thing." Tatiana put her hands on her hips proudly. Chris laughed.

"But that's not the challenging part." He nodded to Chef who in turn flipped a small switch in the panel, changing the image again to reveal three creatures. One looks like a large bird with razor sharp wings, another looks like an ape with some spikes trailing down its back, and the last looks like a forest ranger. "You will all be chased by these three and some little ones that seem irrelevant to me." He shrugs. "But anyway, if you get caught and 'killed' by the creatures of the forest, you'll spawn again from a different point which may either make or break your game." The contestants starting whispering, some with worried faces and others with excitement.

"Okay so maybe this won't be as easy as I thought." Tatiana said softly.

Marvin raised his hand. "What part of this is sci-fi again?"

Chris smiled. "I'm glad you asked. For now, we're just gonna give you a taste of what it feels like being in virtual reality, so the setting isn't all that futuristic for now."

"Interesting. What do you think, Wesley?" Nicholas turned to the well dressed man.

"If only I had my knife." Terrance muttered while putting his hands on his hoodie pockets.

"Well damn, can't focus on my music with this." Richard shook his head in disappointment.

Chris pointed at the pods. "Well? What are you waiting for? Get going!" Everyone scattered, each getting into a pod. It then closed slowly and soon locked itself. The contestants can all be seen inside since the glass isn't really tinted.

A complex looking helmet held by tubes were attached to the heads of each of the contestants, and they all suddenly felt the need to sleep. The last person to succumb to sleep, Nicholas, managed to see Chef pressing buttons on the panels while the hologram shifted continuously.

Sarah and Arnold woke up near each other in one part of the jungle. The latter rubbed his head and yawned. "Man, what happened?"

Sarah sat up and looked around. She noticed that she doesn't have her guitar anymore. "What!? Yo, where my guitar at!?" She remembered having it beside her when she entered the pod.

Arnold also looked around. "My soccer ball isn't here too! That was brand new!" They both stood up and searched around, looking behind rocks and bushes and staring up at trees. In the end, they couldn't find their things.

"So, I bet all of you are wondering why you don't have your things with you, right?" Chris voices was heard. They looked above them and saw a rectangular 3d hologram with Chris' face on it.

"Damn straight! Give me back my guitar!" Sarah raised her fist. Chris continued talking, however.

In another part of the woods, Tatiana, Betty, and Jane were together. They were also looking up at the Chris hologram. "In this challenge, we only had your avatar presented. Use of any materials outside of this program is prohibited unless we say so."

"Whoa, we're avatars?" Tatiana's mouth was agape.

Chris continued. "In order to survive and get to the outpost, you will need the skill to traverse the forest…" Jane's eye lit up when he said that.

"Seriously though. Whoa…"The gamer girl continued to be awestruck as she started feeling the leaves and branches on the ground.

Nataline, Nicholas, Lucy, and Terrance were all together, with Nicholas and Lucy examining the forest path while Nataline and Terrance were listening to Chris. "The intelligence to outsmart the creatures after you…." That made both Nicholas and Lucy turn their heads towards the hologram.

"Well, so much for my tools. We could have used it to make traps or something." Terrance shook his head. Nataline placed her hand on his shoulder reassuringly.

"Don't worry about it. We'll be fine. We got these two here with us after all." She smiled at Nicholas and Lucy and the former smiled back at her.

"And the strength to brave the jungle's natural obstacles. Good luck." With a chuckle, the hologram dispersed. Phoebe's eyes went wide. She, along with Cyrus and Marvin, are also in one part of the area, specifically near a river.

"W-what just happened? It j-just disappeared." She began to panic. Cyrus folded his arms.

"What do you think, Marvin? You think we got this?" He looked towards the other boy, who seemed to be deep in thought again.

"I'd say we avoid the harder parts of the woods. Stick to the path, and hide when necessary. You guys can be stealthy right? Imagine having someone like Betty or Valerie with us. We just gotta be quiet."

"Good idea. You got all that, Phoebe?" The write turned to see Phoebe still bothered by the disappearing hologram. He tried to get close to her but she saw and recoil back.

"Eek! Don't come any closer." She backed up against a tree. Cyrus sighed.

"Look kid, we gotta move now. At least follow us."

"You'll be safe. Don't worry." Marvin added with a slight smile. Phoebe calmed down a bit an decided to follow them as they walked down the forest's path.

Chris was seen back at the dome, smiling at the camera as he spreads out his arms. The full color hologram formed into several cubes that acted as screens which showed what the contestants were doing. In one cube it showed Shane walking down the forest path alone. Another cube showed Ivy, Valerie, and Cassie arguing over which way to go. "There you have it. Our 24 contestants get a taste of virtual reality and are now in their first challenge finding for outposts and avoiding the predators." He chuckled afterwards. "Will they make it out alive? Who will be in which outpost? Will Phoebe get over her anxiety and trust issues? And will Tatiana get a grip on herself before she becomes a victim? Find out next time on…Total..Drama…Sci-Fi Showdown!"

* * *

 **This is my first Total Drama fanfic guys. Please be nice and also leave reviews about what you think so far regarding the cast and the challenges. Oh, and I accept challenge ideas too! :D I'll try my best to update as soon as possible!**


	2. Chapter 2: Stuck in Virtual Reality

"Previously on Total Drama Sci-Fi Showdown," Chris introduced. "We met our 24 contestants to participate in this all new season. Tensions may not be high now, but this challenge will hopefully change all that. We have colorful people like Betty and Arnold, as well as unenthusiastic ones like Shane and Ivy. Their challenge today is traversing the dangerous jungle in order to reach one of three outposts. Of course, we had to put in some obstacles to help motivate them." He chuckled. "Will Nicholas and Nataline carry their group into finding an outpost? Will Sarah and Arnold just get over the fact that they don't have their stuff? And will Phoebe get along with her two companions? Find out now, on Total..Drama..Sci-Fi Showdown!"

~(Theme Song)~

The scene changed to where Shane currently is. After some minuted of walking and scaring away the local creatures with his glare, he came across a large clearing surrounded by colorful rocks. "What kind of forest has this?" He muttered to himself. But before he could examine it, a primal sound was heard and one rock beside him shattered into pieces. The assailant is the ape with spikes, as Chris has said. Shane moved back and grunted. "Just my luck."

He moved to stand behind the rocks, then moved as quietly as possible to avoid detection. Rocks started breaking and flying everywhere accompanied by the occasional roar of the beast. As the rampage continues, the man looks around for any opening he can use to escape.

"Psst. Over here." Someone whispered from behind him. He whipped his head back and saw Delilah and Harvey behind a large oak tree. The latter is signaling him to go to where they are. "Hurry while you still have cover."

Shane nodded and went towards them. The ape shot up and sniffed the air which made Delilah squeak in a high pitched voice. Shane stopped in his tracks. The beast then proceeded to bash another rock which still wasn't the one Shane hid in. The boy moved again and soon he joined the two.

"Okay good good. Now let's go before it looks this way." Delilah looked absolutely terrified. They both nodded and went away silently just as the ape smashed the last colorful rock and roared when it didn't find the boy.

Once they made sure they weren't followed, they stopped at a nearby spring to catch their breath. Harvey washed his face while Delilah tried to calm down. "Looks like we saved you in time, yo." The cool boy said to Shane. He simply grunted and pointed north.

"I'm headed that way. Don't follow me." He instructed. He drank some water from the spring and was about to go his own way when Harvey stopped him.

"Hey man. Not cool. We saved you back there and you're not even gonna thank us? Seriously?"

"And why would you go alone? We could travel together. Strength in numbers, you know." Delilah added. Shane smirked at this and turned to face the girl.

"In this case, no. The outposts shouldn't be too far. Look in the right direction and you get in. No big deal."

Harvey made a wtf face. "Can you believe this guy? He almost got killed by an ape and he still acts all edgy." Shane simply ignored him and continued walking. "Hey, I'm not done talking!" However, the man had already disappeared behind some bushes. "Whatever. Let's go, Delilah."

The girl joined him. "At least we won't be in the same team as him. He creeps me out anyway." She pointed east. "Let's go there." Harvey nodded and they both followed the path towards east.

* * *

Meanwhile, Wesley, Desmond, and Jude are carefully moving in between the trees. Up ahead, they can see an antenna with a blinking red light. "That must be the outpost." Desmond stated.

Jude nodded and looked around. "No sign of any of those creatures. Looks like we got lucky." He pushed aside some leaves and branches and saw the outpost close by. It's a single floor, almost shack-like in form, yet futuristic kind of building. The walls are painted red and contains black neon light highlights on the sides. A flag pole stands beside it but no flag could be seen at the top. The three boys circled around it to find the steel door leading inside. "Yes! This is it."

"Ah, we are truly fortunate." Wesley smiled. But just then, a slashing and hacking noise can be heard near them. They turned to see where it's coming from and saw a pile of leaves and branches being cut aside. The forest ranger emerged out, with a ski mask on his face and wearing a leather vest and shirt, cargo pants and boots. He held a machete in his hand that he used to cut aside the greens in his path.

"Everyone get in and close the door!" Jude commanded. Desmond and Wesley hurried inside and Jude was about to follow before the ranger blocked his path and pointed the blade at him. "Damn." He hopped back just before the man swung the machete.

"Jude!" Wesley shouted. The ranger turned to face the two inside but Desmond slammed the door in his face. With a groan, he staggered backwards but continued to block Jude's path inside.

Jude raised his voice loud enough for them to hear from inside. "Don't open the door for me! I'll go find another outpost!" And with that, he sprinted the other direction with the ranger following him. When it became quiet again, Desmond opened the door slightly and peeked his head out.

"All clear. Looks like Jude won't be in the same team as us anymore."

"Do you think he'll make it out alright?" Wesley worriedly asked. "Perhaps we should go look for him." He started towards the outside but Desmond held him back.

"No. We might get lost and I'm pretty sure Chris won't allow permanent death here. Remember, if we get seriously hurt we'll only respawn somewhere else." Wesley nodded in understanding though his worry never left his face. "And hey, Jude is tougher than both of us. He'll be fine." Desmond gave a knowing smile.

* * *

Meanwhile, Arnold and Sarah were running for their lives. "Aaahhh! Somebody help us!" Sarah screamed as the large bird with razor wings chased them down and screeching. Arnold was right behind her and also looking frantically for a way to get rid of it.

"Dude, this is not how I wanted to spend my summer!" Arnold looked over his shoulder and still saw it chasing them. He then saw a small cave up ahead. "Sarah, let's go over there." He pointed to it and the girl nodded.

"Great idea. It can't fit there!"

"That's what she said. Ahaha!" He laughed and Sarah gave an exasperated sigh before they both ducked into the cave. The bird flew upward upon seeing it, refusing to chase after them inside. "Hey, we did it!" They both high fived.

"We outsmarted that bird brain. But now we gotta find a way to those outposts Chris talked about. We should-" Sarah was cut off when a hologram of Chris appeared before them again.

"Okay so the interns finally got the confessionals to work. I wasn't able to show this to you guys since this dome is new and we haven't got all the little details ironed out yet but hey, you can finally do confessionals. There are drones nearby that act as cameras so go ahead and find any secluded place where you're sure you can't be overheard and make the confessional. That's all." The hologram winked out. Arnold noticed a drone in the inner part of the cave and went over to it.

~Confessional~

"This is so far pretty scary yet pretty cool, dudes. I get to hang out with a hot rocker girl inside a cave but the downside is that large bird outside. I hope we find that outpost soon." Arnold stated in front of the drone.

~End Confessional~

Both of them peeked their heads out of the cave to see if the coast is clear. When they found no sign of the winged beast, they got out. "Boy, that was more intense than that gig me and my band did at the Back Crack bar." Sarah shook her head. She turned and caught Arnold staring at her. "What? Is there something on my face?"

"No no, I mean it's pretty cool that you guys do gigs now. What's your band called?"

"The Pink Skulls." She said proudly. "I would have wanted it to be Dank Skulls but they didn't like it much." Shrugging, she continued to walk down the forest path. Arnold just gave a wtf face to the camera and then followed her. After a few more minutes, they came across a clearing by the river and saw the outpost there. This time, the walls are painted blue and the neon light highlights are color cyan.

"Aw, sweet! The outpost!" Arnold exclaimed as he went over to open the door for both of them. They checked out the interior of the outpost and saw that it contained a large round see through glass table in the middle of the room along with 8 chairs. There are three doors on the side, two of it being the boys' and girls' bedrooms and the last being a confessional stall. But as for interior decorations, there is none. It's almost as if its brand new and that the only furniture are the table and chairs. "Check this out, Sarah." Arnold opened the boys' bedroom door and saw two bunk beds and a bathroom door.

"This game is gonna be sooo awesome!" Sarah fist pumped the air and Arnold followed suit.

"I know right. And look, since we're here, we're on the same team!" They both did a fist bump and cheered. Their celebration was cut short when they heard screaming outside. They opened the door and saw Nelly being chased by the giant bird from earlier.

"Oh no, we gotta save her!" Sarah exclaimed. Arnold looked around and saw a medium sized rock laying there. Thinking fast, he skillfully kicked the rock which soared through the sky and hit the bird point blank in the head.

"Boom! Headshot!" Arnold cheered. The bird screeched and stopped its chase. Nelly then got inside the outpost panting and sweating. Sarah closed the door to make sure it's safe. "Are you alright? Good thing I got mad kicking skills, eh?" He bragged.

"Yeah yeah. Thanks for saving me, jock." Nelly said in between pants. She looked around and saw no one else but the two of them. "Wow, stuck in a team with you two? I don't see anyone else competent here except for myself."

"Jerk. And after we saved you." Sarah folded her arms and glared at her.

Arnold motioned his head towards the door. "You could always find another outpost."

The nerd scoffed. "Hmph! I'll stay so that this team won't be completely hopeless."

They both just ignored her and talked about Sarah's band.

* * *

Felix and Richard were searching for an outpost together. They manged to avoid the three creatures Chris sent and are now crossing the rope bridge to the other side.

"Man, I'm so bored. Why did Chris have to take my sheet music?" Richard sighed.

"But if he didn't, you'd have tripped dozens of times now." Felix pointed out. "There are lots of large roots here you know." He added.

Richard raised his arms up in defeat. "Whatever. When I win, I'll become the world's greatest composer. You'll listen to my songs and regret ever looking down on me."

The prankster simply rolled his eyes and sighed. Just then, they heard a roaring noise behind them. Looking behind them, they saw the giant ape charging towards them, beating its chest and making the ground and bridge shake. "Holy cow, it's right behind us! Run run!" They both made a beeline for the end of the bridge, taking care not to fall over. The ape kept going, picking up a huge rock and throw it down in the middle of the bridge.

"Aahhh!" They both screamed as the ropes on both ends gave way and the bridge started to plummet down into the river below. Before that, however, Felix managed to jump and latch on to the rocky edge of the other side.

"Richard!" The boy looked down and saw Richard go down with the bridge, losing him when it made the splash. He then looked at the ape who was beating its chest and going away. "Ugh, now what am I gonna do?" He hoisted himself up with much difficulty and took heavy breaths as he rested there on the ground.

~Confessional~

"Screw this. Now I'm all alone and I'm too weak to fight through those monsters." Felix sighed in defeat.

~End Confessional~

* * *

Ivy, Valerie, and Cassie were all going down the same forest path which seems to go deeper and deeper into the area. "Ugh, why did we choose this way again? My idea was totally better." Valerie complained.

"Whatever. Think however ya want. I've been to a couple of them jungles and I know my way around." Cassie shrugged and walked ahead. Ivy stopped humming a tune and looked around.

"So why are we going deeper? Wouldn't it be right to search the less dense parts?" She tilted her head, asking in a friendly manner.

"For starters, that's what Chris expects for y'all. He probably put one in here just to one up us, y'know?" Cassie replied. She brushed aside some tree leaves and saw in the distance the outpost hidden in some more bushes. Its walls are painted forest green with light green neon light highlights. However, the forest ranger seems to be guarding the door. Cassie motioned for them to quiet down.

"Hmm, I really do not know how we can get past him." Ivy whispered. She didn't sound worried or afraid at all as she said this. Valerie pointed in the distance and saw Shane crouched down behind some bushes.

"That anti-social guy could help us."

"Let's see." Cassie waved her hands around, trying to get Shane's attention. The man eventually turned and raised his eyebrow. She made hand motions of a rock being thrown and he got the message perfectly. Picking up a small rock, he threw it in the distance that leads away from the outpost. The ranger immediately turned and stalked towards the sound. "Go go go." Cassie urged. Ivy and Valerie both made a beeline for the outpost, opening the door and going inside.

"Hurry." Valerie said. Cassie and Shane both headed for the outpost but were cut off by the ranger who threw his hatchet in the ground in front of the door.

"Damn. Too slow." Shane muttered. He and Cassie backed off from the outpost, being wary of the ranger that had just come back. He seemed to ignore the other two already inside the outpost and continue to stare them down.

~Confessional~

"So is this the part where one of them makes the sacrifice like in those movies?" Valerie pondered. "I hope it's Cassie. I kinda want Shane to be in the team more than her to be honest." She shrugged.

~End Confessional~

The ranger picked up his weapon and stalked towards the two contestants. Shane and Cassie looked at each other uneasily, unsure of what to do next. Cassie backed up against a tree and the ranger took this chance to charge at her instead. "Holy cow!" She screamed and ducked down in time as the machete sliced the trunk where her head was.

Shane picked up another rock and threw it at the back of his head. "Come on. Come at me." He said tauntingly. The ranger fell for it and began to walk towards him. This gave Cassie the opening to run towards the outpost for safety. With a better fighting ground, she began to look around for something she can use and saw a long vine neatly coiled and a steel crate by the outpost. She picked up the vine and tied it to make it look like a lasso. Shane kept dodging and throwing rocks at the enraged ranger who slashed and hacked at the boy but kept missing. Cassie then hurled the vine at the ranger and pulled, catching him by his legs and releasing his machete.

"Now!" She exclaimed. Shane nodded and went inside to join Ivy and Valerie. Cassie closed the door behind her, leaving the forest ranger in a state of helplessly and immobility.

~Confessional~

"That was intense, y'all." Cassie panted. "Too intense."

~End Confessional~

Everyone sat down on one of the chairs by the round table. Cassie wiped off sweat with her hand and Shane folded his arms and looked down. "Well, we're safe now." Valerie said, breaking the silence.

"I need to rest for a little bit. I was not prepared for this kind of suspense." Ivy stated softly as she retreated to the girls' bedroom.

"Told ya Chris had an outpost here." Cassie said proudly but weakly. Valerie snorted but smiled.

"Yeah yeah."

"I'll rest too. Don't disturb me." Shane didn't even wait for their response as he stood up and went to the boys' bedroom.

"Wow. Tough crowd. And here I was expecting our team to be livelier." Valerie sighed.

Cassie stretched and chuckled. "We can all talk later. This experience…is pretty shocking, I'd say."

"That's true."

~Confessional~

"Maybe I will give Cassie a chance. She might actually be useful to me." Valerie nodded in consideration.

~End Confessional~

* * *

Nataline and her group had given up walking down the forest path and followed both Lucy and Nicholas in a more rocky terrain. "Remind me again why this was a good idea?" Nataline asked to no one in particular.

"Trust me. My detective's intuition told me to give up on the forest path. Something about it didn't feel right." Nicholas responded matter-of-factly.

Lucy nodded and pointed ahead. "I can see a small clearing up ahead. Maybe we'll find something there." They all continued to walk until only a small patch of trees stood in between them and the forest clearing.

"Wait. Something doesn't feel right…." Nicholas muttered. Just as he said that, they hard a loud screeching sound from up ahead, most likely belonging to the bird.

Terrance clenched his fists and stepped back. "I don't think we should go there."

Nataline stepped forward. "I say we press onward. If we play our cards right, we can outmaneuver it." Nicholas was hesitant at first, but seeing the fierce determination on her face made him nod with more conviction.

"Alright. Let's plan this out then."

They all got close to each other except for Lucy who is keeping watch. "We need to split up and go in opposite sides. Two per side of course." Nataline started. "One person throws a rock at the bird and another person from the other side whistles. Distracting it and keeping it from moving too fast is our top most priority. Once we get to the other side and under the safety of the trees, we run."

"Sounds like we need perfect teamwork here. I don't know if we can pull this off flawlessly." Terrance adjusted his glasses, frowning.

"It is a risk, though I am willing to take it. It is still logically possible, after all." Nicholas agreed with Nataline. "Lucy, did you get all that?"

The girl nodded. "Yeah."

Nicholas picked up a medium sized stone from the ground. "I'll throw the stone. I don't mean to brag but I'm a good shot." He smirked and proceeded to go to one side along with Lucy.

"I can whistle well. So that means we're partnering up." Terrance said nonchalantly as walked towards the opposite side. Nataline frowned a bit but followed.

~Confessional~

"I think Terrance doesn't like me. Is it my outfit? Or my plan?" Nataline wondered then huffed. "Well no matter. Those of noble status like me aren't supposed to please those below us."

~End Confessional~

Nataline and Terrance stood at the left side of the clearing while Nicholas and Lucy stood at the right. Nicholas raised his hand up as he peeked over the bush they hid in, seeing the large bird standing in the middle of the clearing while stretching its wings. When it looked down to find for some food on the ground, he did a go signal. Moving quickly yet quietly, all four of them circled around the clearing and th large flying beast noticed them. Screeching towards Nataline and Terrance, it started moving towards them but a well aimed rock throw connected with the side of its head.

"Look over here." Nicholas muttered, narrowing his eyes at the beast as he and Lucy kept moving but at a faster pace. The bird looked in their direction which gave the other two time to move out. After a deafening screech, it folded its wings and started charging at Nicholas' group. A whistling sound from Terrance was heard. But despite that, the bird didn't look their way or get distracted in the slightest. Lucy's eyes widened and Nicholas made a 'tsk' sound as the beast closed in on them.

"Oh my God. It's still coming this way!" Lucy ran now, her small frame able to go in between two tree trunks and reach safety. Nicholas was left to face off against the beast, avoiding its pecks directed at him.

"Terrance, we have to help them!" Nataline said as she looked towards her partner, only to find him gone. "What? Where did he go? Oh, nevermind." She ran towards the bird on her own. It noticed her and stretched out a wing, knocking her aside. "Ow. I should have expected that." She groaned in pain.

"Nataline! …This is a tight situation." Nicholas tried to think of a way to escape. Lucy is already hiding behind a tree and Nataline is currently dazed in the ground. Terrance was nowhere to be found. "Lucy, run and don't look back. We'll catch up with you later." He ordered. The girl nodded fearfully and ran away from the clearing as fast as she possibly can.

The bird screeched again, glancing towards the silver haired boy then to Nataline then back at him. "We have to get in the cover of the trees." Nataline managed to say. She weakly got up and took small steps towards the trees. Nicholas kept the attention of the bird on him.

"Let's dance, shall we?" He taunted the bird. It pecked him but he sidestepped to avoid it, getting closer to another patch of trees and bushes. "Is that all? Come and show some skill." It tried to knock him aside with its wings but he tumbled out of the way.

"He's amazing." Nataline muttered as she safely reached the cover of the trees. She gave a thumbs-up to Nicholas, who got the message.

~Confessional~

"To think that he can maneuver so well in such a bad situation…" Nataline was still in amazement. "He must have really trained so well. This might be dangerous in the long run but at least he'll be useful in challenges."

~End Confessional~

The bird screeched one last time before flying high and diving straight for the man, talons first and ready. He simply smiled. At the last moment, he rolled forward and the bird immediately crashed hard into the trees and bushes, unable to stop itself.

"Well? How did I do?" Nicholas chuckled as he took a bow. "It was a rather splendid performance, if I do say so myself."

"That was very impressive. When did you learn how to do that?" Nataline asked in amazement.

"I trained myself." He shrugged. "Now, shall we be off?"

~Confessional~

"Aside from the training needed to become a detective, I've indulged myself in various martial arts." Nicholas said. "I knew it would be useful one day."

~End Confessional~

The two of them met up with Lucy at the other side of the clearing. "What happened to the bird?" She asked.

"All I can tell you is that it will not be bothering us for a while." Nicholas smiled as he said this. "Have you seen Terrance?"

"Nope. It looks like he bailed on us." Lucy sighed.

"But why? Being with a group is better." Nataline tilted her head quizzically.

"I am sure he'll be fine. He must have been shocked by the events and ran off. We will most likely see him again in the near future." Nicholas assured the two. "For now, we need to find an outpost. I am getting rather tired of combating airborne threats."

The three walked off. In the distance, Terrance was leaning against a tree with a growl on his face and his arms folded.

~Confessional~

"Okay, so Nicholas battled the bird and won. At least I know who I'm dealing with." He ran his hand through his hair. "Yeah I can actually whistle better. But I chose not to. I literally sabotaged their plan." He clenched his fist. "Those popular kids think they're so smart with their plans and their skills. I'll show them…I'll show them all!" He banged his fist against a tree trunk.

~End Confessional~

* * *

Terrance walked alone opposite of where the three went. He went on for a couple of minutes, picking up really jagged rocks in the process and putting them in his hoodie pockets. He then heard some conversation ahead of him. Betty's loud voice was obvious then came Jane's scolding voice.

"Betty, keep it down will you? You might attract the ranger or that gorilla." Jane scolded. Terrance pushed aside some bushes to see Tatiana, Betty, and Jane all walking together. He looked further past them and saw a long red antenna sticking out even amongst the trees.

"Hey look, we're close." Tatiana pointed out at the outpost. Betty cheered and Jane tried to calm her down. Terrance trailed behind them, hoping to not catch their attention. This plan failed, however, when he accidentally stepped on a branch making a loud crunch. Jane was the first to look back and see him.

"Who's ther- Terrance?" She walked over to him with the other two. The boy backed off a little, hands on his hoodie pockets and already clutching two rocks. "Hey, don't be so cautious. It's just us." She tried sounding friendly.

"Yeah! Come join us!" Betty exclaimed happily. "Look! There it is already!" She added.

"I said keep it down." Jane scolded again with a sigh.

"Are you traveling alone? Wanna join our party?" Tatiana smiled.

"We're having a party?" Betty's eyes were wide with excitement.

"No not that kind of party."

"Sorry about these two. It must be quiet traveling by yourself. But there's the outpost so we should go together." Jane suggested.

Terrance thought for a bit then reluctantly agreed. "Fine. But you first."

"What a gentleman." Jane smirked.

"You found it first, so it's only natural." Terrance lightly smirked back. The three turned back and kept going towards the outpost with Terrance bringing up the rear a good distance from them.

~Confessional~

"I think Terrance is capable, you know." Jane nodded in acknowledgment. "He's dressed for this game and he knows how to be careful around people. Though I hope he learns to trust us soon because he's gonna need allies."

~End Confessional~

~Confessional~

Terrance sighed as he held a jagged rock. "Look, those three might be good people and they don't look like they fall under the popular types, but I'm just generally not good around girls. I don't have any female friends and I don't want to be in a relationship. But I only wanna be in their team because Jane looks capable and reliant and these types are good to keep around for the game."

~End Confessional~

Tatiana knocked on the front door. "Hello? Is anyone home in this humble abode? We seek shelter from the cruel forest and wish to proceed inside. We won't be long." She said in her best impression of a medieval accent. Jane bopped her in the head.

"What are you saying? 'We won't be long'? This will be our team."

Tatiana made a face of realization. "Oh."

The door was opened by Wesley who greeted them with a smile. "Welcome, friends. We do welcome you here." Desmond was also inside sitting in a chair by the table.

"And we thank you for your hospitality." Tatiana said, not breaking her accent and adding dramatic hand gestures. Jane and Terrance sighed.

"Whoa! We're in a team now. Group pic!" Betty held up her phone to snap a picture.

"But we're not complete yet." Desmond pointed out. "Save it for later." Betty put down her phone.

"Oh right. We need eight members, right?"

Jane nodded. "Yeah. I wonder who'll the last two be."

~Confessional~

"This team is gonna be soooo awesome I just know it!" Betty exclaimed while jumping up and down.

~End Confessional~

* * *

Cyrus' group is currently resting under the shade of some large trees. Without his notebook and pen, the emo seems to be twiddling his thumbs in boredom. Marvin tried to talk to Phoebe but the latter isn't up for conversation and is sitting far from them. "You know, it wouldn't hurt to talk a little." Marvin said.

"N-no thank y-you. I'm fine over h-here." The girl stuttered out.

"Just leave her alone. It's getting you nowhere." Cyrus stated bluntly.

"Hey, you never know. Though I do wonder why she distances herself from us." Marvin began to ponder silently. Cyrus rolled his eyes and stared directly at Phoebe.

"Just say it. It's my get-up, right? Sorry it's not as appealing as that stuffy dress you're wearing." '

"I-it's not that." Phoebe looked away in fear. "P-please don't hurt me."

The boy simply sighed. Just then, someone came tumbling out of the nearby flower bushes. "Sup." It was Richard, soaking wet from wig to bottom. Phoebe screamed suddenly and hid behind a tree.

"W-who are you?" She squeaked out.

"Nevermind. I don't have the worst get-up." Cyrus gave Richard the one over and frowned. "What happened to you?"

"Fell in a river. Got back to my senses and manged to swim back to land and end up here."

"Are you traveling alone?" Marvin tilted his head.

"No, I was with Felix. But after the rope bridge fell and me with it, we kinda got separated. He's probably enjoying an outpost right now while I'm here dealing with my wet wig." He sighed in frustration.

"W-why don't you take it off then?" Phoebe suggested.

"NO!" He suddenly yelled with an angry face at Phoebe, who got even more scared and hid behind the tree again, trembling in fear.

"Hey, don't yell at her. Keep it cool." Marvin tried to calm him down. Richard took deep breaths and then normally.

"Sorry. Sorry, my bad." He apologized.

"Well let's leave it at that. We should get going. I wanna rest on an actual bed." Cyrus groaned. The rest nodded in agreement and proceeded to walk again. It wasn't long before they saw a large antenna with a green blinking light in the distance.

"Is that it?" Marvin wondered.

Cyrus shrugged. "Only one way to find out." They all walked some more and soon came face to face with the green outpost. In front of it is the still tied up forest ranger.

"Wow. Whoever got here first are a strong bunch." Richard stared at the ranger in amazement.

"Or got lucky." Cyrus shrugged again.

"S-should we go try the d-door?" Phoebe meekly asked.

"Sure." Marvin walked over and knocked three times. "Hey, anybody in there? Hello?" Cassie slightly opened the door to peek her head out, then fully opened it when she realized it's just them.

"Hola mis amigos!" She greeted then and motioned for them to continue on inside. Valerie and Ivy are both sitting in chairs.

"Heya." Valerie flirtatiously winked at Cyrus, who only rolled his eyes in response.

"Whatever. I'm gonna rest for a bit." He immediately went for the boys' bedroom and closed the door behind him. The others blinked in confusion.

"He's been bored lately. Remember? Chris got our stuff so he can't write." Marvin explained. Valerie and Cassie nodded in understanding. Phoebe was the last to walk in and the door immediately closed and locked itself. They could hear what could be a static field from all around them but not visible.

"Eek! What's happening?" Phoebe cowered fearfully.

A Chris hologram appeared in the room before them. "Congratulations, the green outpost has complete members now. I placed a static field around the outpost to prevent any more visitors. It also means that you guys can't gt out until the challenge is over. From now on, you guys are known as the Green Drell." A logo with the face of a green, reptile-like creature surrounded by lightning illuminated on the surface of the round table.

"Wait, isn't that those reptile creatures from Mass Effect or somethi-" Marvin started.

"And since you're the first team to ever form, you get a bonus!" Bright static forms on the table and materializes into delicious food like roast chicken, a thousand dressing salad, Salisbury steak, mushroom soup,chocolate cake, and soda. "Don't worry, these are real. The magic of science and virtual reality is too amazing for you to comprehend." And with that, the Chris hologram disappeared.

"Well this is convenient." Richard immediately sat down on one of the chairs and grabbed a plate and fork.

"Yeah, it's pretty nice to get first place." Valerie nodded.

~Confessional~

"This team might actually be good. Though I don't know about Richard and Phoebe. They seem like softies and slackers to me." Cassie noted.

~End Confessional~

~Confessional~

"E-even though I can't s-socialize well, I'm glad that m-my team looks friendly. The food looks g-good too." Phoebe smiled.

~End Confessional~

* * *

Nataline, Nicholas, and Lucy were going along the river's path now. They can already see the blue outpost in the distance. "We made it." Lucy sighed in satisfaction.

From the other side, Delilah and Harvey are basically running towards the outpost. They knocked the door feverishly and then Arnold opened it. "What's with all the-" He was cut off when they both rushed inside.

"Hurry! Close the door! The ape is here!" Delilah exclaimed.

"But wait, I saw three others heading this way." Harvey pointed out to her. "We can't leave them behind." He was about to go out when the door automatically closed and locked itself. "What!?"

'Emergency lockdown. Threat level: A.' A female voice echoed through inside the outpost.

"Damn, it must be a security protocol." Harvey cursed.

"Will they be alright?" Sarah worriedly asked.

"We can only hope." Delilah answered softly.

Meanwhile, Nicholas made the group stop for a moment. "Wait, do you hear that?"

Nataline tried to listen but got nothing. "No. Why? I something amiss?" After she said that, a roaring noise and the beats of the chest can be heard in front of them. "What was that?" She backed away, her foot nearing the river's edge.

"Is it another beast?" Lucy was panicking now. "Is it the ape thing?"

"Logically speaking, yes." Nicholas said grimly. "I'm too worn out now. I do not think we can outmaneuver it this time."

"Don't say that! You're making things worse." Lucy snapped at him.

"I'm only stating the obvious, Lucy."

"Yeah but-" The ape fully came into view, roaring and going on all fours just to close in on them. Nicholas and Lucy stepped back instinctively.

"Nataline! Don't get close to the river's edge!" Nicholas' advice came too late. The ape picked up a large rock and threw it at Nataline's direction. Though she dodged it in time, the slight shockwave gave her a push past the edge and into the river.

"Aaaahh!" She landed with a splash and was slowly drifting down the river.

"No!" Nicholas tried to come to her rescue but was too slow and the ape was already upon them both.

"We gotta lose it somehow." Lucy said.

Inside the outpost, the lockdown was still active. However, there is a timer on the round table which read 00:30. "What is this?" Arnold asked to no one in particular.

"It's probably a lockdown timer. After thirty seconds, it will disable. Then you guys can go rescue them." Nelly answered him.

"You're not gonna help us?" Delilah narrowed her eyes at her.

"I'm too frail. That ape will kill me." She said simply.

~Confessional~

"I'm pretty sure she's just scared." Delilah rolled her eyes.

~End Confessional~

Arnold gathered everyone but Nelly together. "Alright, so this is how we'll do this. First I go kick a rock to its head. Then you guys do whatever it takes to distract it. But as much as possible stay near to the outpost. It'll be worthless if even one of us gets sacrificed in the end."

Harvey and Delilah nodded with conviction. Sarah gave a toothy grin. "Hey, check out our new leader." She playfully smacked Arnold's arm. He slightly blushed.

"I'm just doing what I can to help them, y'know." He sheepishly said. The timer reached zero and the door unlocked. "Let's do this, team!"

"Yeah!" They all said in unison except for Nelly who simply sat cross-legged in a chair.

"Good luck. You'll need it." She said that last part in a whisper so no one can hear.

Nicholas and Lucy were hiding in different spots. The former hid behind a thick bush and the other hid behind a large rock. Nicholas signaled for her to be quiet to which she followed, tears forming in her eyes. The ape slowly made its way towards them, sniffing and looking around. It didn't seem like it noticed them yet. An arrow whizzed by and hit its hand. It groaned in pain and recoil back, whipping its head to see where it came from. There on top of a tree is Jude, with a makeshift bow and arrow at the ready.

"Looks like I made it just in time." He smirked. He narrowed eyes at the beast and drew back another arrow, aiming right for the head this time. It tried to retaliate by picking up a rock but was hit in the hand again by a fast moving jagged rock.

"Bullseye!" Arnold exclaimed as he pumped his fist in the air. "Nicholas, Lucy, get inside. We'll handle this." He flashed a smile and the two nodded. They quickly moved around the groaning ape and headed straight for the outpost's safety where Delilah and Sarah stood guard.

"Heads up!" Jude said as he let the arrow fly. It hit the ape straight in the forehead, knocking it back and falling to the ground. He jumped down and joined Arnold. "Nice kick."

"Thanks. Nice shooting skills."

"As always." He smirked again. Harvey looked over at the ape.

"It won't be dazed for long. We should go." He jogged back inside with Arnold and Jude.

~Confessional~

"Alright, so after I lost the ranger, I immediately went to work on building a makeshift bow out of vines and thin wood and some arrows from jagged rocks and sticks. I'm glad it was useful. It was fun too." Jude laughed lightly.

~End Confessional~

After they all went inside, Nicholas sat on a chair and buried his face in his hands. "I hope Nataline will be fine."

"I couldn't see her anymore in the river." Sarah frowned. Lucy covered her mouth with her hands.

"Oh no." She muttered.

"I'm sure she'll make her way to an outpost." Harvey looked around at everyone. "But she's definitely not gonna be with us. We're eight members already." As if on cue, the door locked again and the static barrier formed outside the outpost. A Chris hologram appeared before them.

"Congratulations, the blue outpost now has complete members. Feel free to rest and chat while we wait for the red outpost to fill up. It shouldn't be long now." He started. "From now on, you'll be known as the Blue Andorians!" The round table showed a logo of a blue humanoid creature with two antennas on its head wearing a military uniform.

"What?" Delilah confusedly tilted her head.

"You know….from Star Trek?" Chris said. When no one said anything, he sighed. "Well whatever. You represent a race from there. That's it. You guys also have a bonus for being the second team to form." Static filled the table and materialized into a platter of fried chicken, cesar salad, some corn, and eight glasses of water. "Your second place reward." The hologram of Chris sizzled out.

~Confessional~

"I think we'll be fine in this team." Jude said. "I mean, they've got me, and Arnold looks reliable too."

~End Confessional~

~Confessional~

"Great, more muscle heads. Just great." Nelly said exasperatedly.

~End Confessional~

* * *

Nataline managed to swim back to land, and she was currently trying to catch her breath. Her clothes are wet and her hair is already disheveled. "I must…press on…" She panted. She looked around and her hopes lit up when she saw the red antenna of the red outpost. "Yes…I can make it.."

"Hey, what happened to you?" She turned and saw Felix walking towards her, a concerned look on his face. "Did you take a swim? I know it's summer but you gotta stay focused if you wanna get to that outpost." He pointed in the direction the outpost is at. "Come on. We'll go together. You look tired as well. Did you seriously spend so much time in the water?" Felix himself is covered in leaves and some twigs are stuck in his hair.

Nataline was too tired to answer him. She just silently followed him to the outpost. They managed to get there unscathed and Felix knocked. Tatiana dramatically opened the door. "Welcome to our humble abode! We do indeed welcome you to- um…Whoa.." She trailed off, looking over at both of them.

"It's been a bad day." Felix said. "But we made it." They both went inside and the door automatically locked itself.

"Damn, must be fierce out there." Jane commented. They both nodded. Nataline scanned the room and saw Terrance sitting casually and talking to Desmond. She pointed an accusatory finger at him.

"You! You left us there to deal with the bird!" Despite her tiredness, she said it with vigor and anger. "We planned it out and you abandoned us."

"Correction, it was your plan and I didn't want to commit to it." He answered casually. "You popular types can always get yourselves out of sticky situations, right?" He then looked over her wet form. "But it looks like someone is lacking in skill to last in the forest."

She bit back her anger, "How dare you!? I thought we were friends."

He narrowed his eyes at her. "Just leave me alone. I hate people like you. Arrogant, snobby, so full of yourselves and acting all cool while leaving others in the dust after using them." he stood up and walked to the boys' bedroom, slamming the door behind him.

"I cannot believe this." Nataline did her best to stay calm. Just then, the Chris hologram appeared.

"Oh is this a bad time?" He chuckled.

"Yeah, more or less." Jane answered.

"Well too bad. I'm here to announce that your outpost is the last one to be filled up with all eight members. Because this is a non-elimination challenge, you don't get to vote someone off. But since you're last, you don't get anything to eat or drink except…." The round table showed static then materialized to form a loaf of bread, some butter, and eight glasses of water. "…That."

"Well, better than nothing." Desmond shrugged.

"It is not what I am used to, but I will eat nonetheless." Wesley agreed with him.

"Then from now on, you'll be known as the Red Sith!" A logo of Darth Vader with a red background appeared on the surface of the table. "Get some rest. The next challenge starts tomorrow." It then winked out.

~Confessional~

"Did Terrance really betray us back there?" Nataline was still in disbelief. "I really cannot believe this. I thought we were all getting along." She then composed herself. "No matter. Someone of his status cannot possibly hold any influence here. Perhaps I can get Wesley to side with me. We are of the same social standing." She reasoned.

~End Confessional~

~Confessional~

"So yeah….the lady is here." Terrance muttered. "This is gonna be a long game. Maybe Jane will help me pull through, though I'm still not good with talking to girls."

~End Confessional~

* * *

The scene changes back to the inside of the Drama Dome where Chris is flashing his usual smile. "Our contestants got a taste of real virtual reality and finally got themselves in teams. Things are starting to heat up around here." He walked towards the large hologram that currently shows the forest terrain. "We're gonna do the next challenge in another place so that they'll actually feel the sci-fi theme. Will Nataline and Terrance make up or will their social rivalry tear them apart? Shane get along with his new team? What other talents does Nicholas possess? And seriously, will Phoebe stopped getting scared every ten seconds? Find out next time on Total...Drama...Sci-Fi Showdown!"

* * *

 **Sorry for the late update everyone! :c I've been busy with this last week of school. But it's vacation now and I'll be able to update more frequently! c: Please leave a review and if you like you can suggest some team challenges they can do that'll break their souls and body- I mean to further enhance their team spirit and teamwork with each other...yeah. :3 Until next time! XBloodLegendX**


	3. Chapter 3: Volcanic Race

"Last time on Total Drama Sci-Fi Showdown," Chris started. "The contestants made their way through a forest to find an outpost that will determine their teams. Some had companions, others didn't, and some others even abandoned or got separated from their group." The hologram showed the inside of all three outposts. "The Red Sith are in a rough start with Terrance and Nataline's social rivalry. The Blue Ardonians are all pretty chill save for Nelly. And the Green Drell looks like they'll face some teamwork dilemma soon." He pointed both his fingers at the camera. "Who will win the first team challenge? Who will be the first boot of the season? Find out here on Total…Drama…Sci-Fi Showdown!"

* * *

 **(Blue Ardonians)**

"Gah!" Arnold woke up with a yell. He shot up from his bed, all sweaty and breathing heavily. He is currently shirtless with only his green boxers on.

"What? What is all that racket?" Nicholas sat up. He squinted his eyes to focus his vision on Arnold who raked his hand through his hair.

"Dude, I lost a soccer match in my sleep…" He explained. "..It was a 0 - 10."

"Chill man. It was just a dream." Harvey said, yawning as he also woke up. He is currently wearing a black shirt with a dove print on it and gray shorts.

"Dude I never lose a match in my dreams." He stopped panting and got down from his bed.

"0 - 10? It's like you were flicked aside." Jude shook his head. He was shirtless and a tattoo of a yatagarasu can be seen in his upper left torso. He also wore blue and white boxers on.

"I'm serious. The team steamrolled all over us, man."

"Well we're awake now. Might as well head to the living room." Nicholas said as he got up, putting on a plaid white shirt and his trousers. With a smirk, he added: "And back to reality. You are your team's ace striker, no? Let's turn that 0 - 10 around."

"Totally! Let's dominate this challenge." Arnold exclaimed. The girls' bedroom opened and the girls also came out, still in their night wear.

"I heard the last bit. And I totally agree with that!" Sarah also exclaimed while giving a thumbs up. She wore a pink tanktop and black short shorts.

Lucy sighed but smiled. "Yes, let us all do our best as a team. I have a good feeling about this." She is wearing a light blue shirt one size too small and magenta shorts.

Delilah got out next, wearing her translucent emerald green short night gown and dark green underwear. "My, everyone is so pumped up already." She licked her finger with her tongue. "I'm sure we can do it as well."

"So optimistic and all that crap. Whatever." Nelly was the last to get out, wearing a simple black shirt and knee length purple shorts. "I'll carry this team to victory, so you're welcome."

"We still don't know what you can contribute, you know." Jude pointed out.

"I'm smart. That's all." She waved her hand dismissively as she headed for the front door. "The rest comes naturally." She opened the door only to find a different scenery. "W-what?" Her mouth was agape.

"What's wrong? Let me see…Holy crap!" Arnold peeked over Nelly's shoulder to see the outside. It's now a wasteland, with red eroded soil and a few geysers around, spewing out hot gas. In the distance, they can see a towering volcano. "This is messed up, dudes. Weren't we near the river area?"

"Yes, that is correct." Nicholas frowned. "Is something amiss?" Both Nelly and Arnold moved aside so the rest of the team can see. They all collectively gasped at what they saw.

* * *

 **(Green Drell)**

In the girls' bedroom, Cassie was up early. "Good morning, team!" She greeted to the other girls who were still asleep. She was wearing a buttoned shirt and some pajama pants.

"Cassie, it's so early." Valerie groaned. She removed her sleep mask and glared at the girl. She wore a revealing red night gown and pink lace underwear.

"W-who's there?" Phoebe shot up and darted her eyes around the room. She calmed down when she realized it was just Cassie and Valerie. "Phew. I t-thought something h-happened." She was currently wearing a long lolita night gown that covered most of her skin.

Ivy just continued to sleep soundly in her bed. The others looked at her direction. "Wow, heavy sleeper." Cassie commented in a whisper.

"Wanna go to the living room?" Valerie suggested. "I won't be able to sleep anyway."

"Sure thing. Come on, Phoebe."

"U-um, I'd like to change my clothes first. I don't want people s-seeing me like this…" She stammered.

"What? But you're perfectly covered." Valerie pointed out with a wtf face.

"Well we can't force her out if she doesn't wanna." Cassie shrugged. "Come join us later then." She headed for the bedroom door and Valerie followed.

When they got out, they saw the boys there already minus Shane. "Sup." Marvin greeted with a slight smile. Valerie waved and winked at him.

"Heya. Miss me, handsome?" She flirted. Marvin shrugged He wore a plaid yellow shirt and white boxer shorts. .

"I've been up pondering about what the next challenge might be so I haven't the time to miss anyone." He simply explained. This made the girl frown but then smile again.

"Wow. So focused." She trailed her fingers along his shoulder. "I like boys who are focused." She batter her eyelashes flirtatiously.

"I try." Marvin just smiled appreciatively, oblivious to her advances.

Cyrus fiddled with his thumbs. "Argh, I can't take this! I need to write something!" He buried his face in his hands. He is already wearing his normal clothing unlike the rest of the boys.

"I hear you. I need to read my sheet music." Richard said in boredom. He is shirtless save for a pair of silver and blue striped shorts and of course, his wig.

"Well anyways, let's all do our best today, y'all!" Cassie encouraged. Cyrus and Richard only grunted in response and Phoebe got out to join them.

"Y-yes." She responded to Cassie. Valerie shook her head at both Cyrus and Richard.

"Where's Shane?" She asked.

"He said he'll come out when he wants to." Marvin shrugged. "What about Ivy?"

"Still asleep." Cassie sighed while folding her arms.

~Confessional~

"I don't know, this teams looks so unmotivated." Cassie remarked while rubbing her arm. "I'm trying to act as leader but they don't really care."

~End Confessional~

Ivy yawned as she exited the bedroom. She is also wearing her normal clothing now. "Good morning, everyone." She greeted nonchalantly.

"This morning is not good for me." Cyrus retorted. "You know what, I'm going outside." He stood up and opened the door. "What the….hell?"

The scenery was the same as the blue team's, eroded soil and geysers made up the land with the sky looking red-orange. The volcano nearby is also seen. "Well I'll be." Cassie said softly.

* * *

 **(Red Sith)**

In the boys' bedroom, Terrance and Desmond began to wake up. The former wore shorts and a regular long sleeve shirt while the latter wore only black shorts.

"Morning." Desmond nodded in Terrance's direction.

"Same here." He responded curtly. He looked towards the others still sleeping. "They could use the rest. I'll tell you when the challenge is up." He added as he got up and headed for the bedroom door.

"Wait. I was hoping we could talk about yesterday. What is with you and Nataline?" Desmond moved as they both got out of the room.

Terrance sighed. "Look, it's nothing. Let's not make that a big deal."

"Hey, I'm all for keeping this team together to win challenges so if you got a problem with her then-"

"We eliminate her?" Terrance suggested with a sly grin.

"No. I think you're both pretty competent." Desmond frowned as he sat down in one of the chairs.

"Well you're wrong. She's just another stuck up rich girl who thinks she's all that and more." Terrance countered.

Jane left the girls' bedroom wearing a black sports bra and black shorts. She spotted them both and also took a seat with them. "Hey, what's you all talking about?"

"Um..Just the team I guess." Terrance shrugged.

"We may be in last place now, but we can turn this around." Jane encouraged.

"And if we lose?" Terrance raised an eyebrow. "That's inevitable you know."

"We'll get there when we get there." She simply said as she gazed straight at him. He tore away his gaze from her and looked towards the main door. "Any guess about the next challenge?"

Desmond shook his head. "It's Chris. Expect the worst."

Tatiana and Nataline walked out of the girls' bedroom next. The former wore a colored shirt with a picture of Bartz Klauser in it and shorts with chocobo prints, while the latter wore a long and lacy night gown. "Who's ready for the challenge today!?" Tatiana cheered.

Nataline glared at Terrance but responded. "I'm ready to win it, of course." This earned a scoff from Terrance.

"Like you're gonna be much help." He muttered.

"What was that? It is rude to mumble in front of others." She got up in his face, sticking her head up.

Terrance just stood up and headed for the door. "Call me when the challenge begins." Opening the door, he was shocked to see the land before him also a wasteland like what the other teams witnessed. "Hey this isn't the same place." He managed to say despite his shock.

Nataline pushed him aside and looked out as well. "Why are we in a wasteland?" Just as she said that. The table flickered and a hologram of Chris appeared in 3D.

"Good morning, competitors! I'm sure you've all seen the change of scenery right? Well don't think about it too much." He laughed. "Inside this virtual reality, everything will according to the challenge's needs and your outposts will automatically spawn in an ideal location." He explained.

"That's cool yet disturbing." Desmond remarked.

Chris continued. "The challenge today is a race." A second hologram appeared and showed the aerial view of the area. A large volcano is seen in the middle and the three outposts are scattered around the sides in equal distance. "It's simple. You'll all race to the top of this volcano and you have to grab the flag that represents your team in order to win. The last team to arrive will have to eliminate someone tonight."

The hologram changed to that of the wasteland itself which led to a slightly narrow path connected to the foot of the volcano. "You'll travel the wasteland and make your way up the volcano by going through these paths. Be careful because I placed some….obstacles to hinder your progress."

"Seems obvious enough. It wouldn't be much of a challenge without those." Jane nodded.

"Of course these paths will intersect with other pathways so you might run into the other teams. Good luck." Both Chris' hologram and the map hologram disappeared in a flicker of miniature sparks.

"I'll get the boys." Terrance announced.

"And I'll wake up the girls." Nataline declared firmly. They both went to their respective bedrooms to gather the rest of the team.

* * *

 **(Green Drell)**

The entire team was already at the starting point where they saw a large metal crate before them. Chris' hologram appeared behind the crate. "One more thing. Before you get started, you'll be choosing 2 out of 6 items from this crate. But since the Green Drell formed their team first, they get to pick one more." The hologram disappeared.

"Looks like we have the upper hand." Marvin noted. "Though we should still choose wisely."

"Yeah. Let's see what we got here." Richard opened the crate to reveal 6 different items. Inside was a rope, five EMP grenades, a cane made of a strange alloy, a full body suit, three smoke bombs, and a laser handgun.

"I suppose it is time to bring out the sci-fi assets." Ivy noted.

"Well I say we use this thingie." Cassie held up the bodysuit and tried to see if it fits her.

Shane grabbed the handgun. "I'll use this."

"That leaves one item left." Cyrus pointed out. "I say we grab the smoke bombs." He reached for it but Valerie slapped his hand away. "Ow! What!?"

"Nope." She grabbed the cane. "This looks cooler." She exclaimed with conviction. Cyrus just gave wtf face as he tried to take away the cane from her hands, but the crate suddenly slammed shut.

"Ugh. You're gonna regret that. I swear if you screw this up for us-" Cyrus scolded.

"Blah blah. Save that mouth for making out with me later once we win this." She winked and headed out to the starting line assigned to them.

Cassie tried putting on the black suit with neon green highlights. To her surprise, it automatically adjusted itself to fit her size. "This is somethin' else, y'all." She said in amazement. "I wonder what it does. Any of y'all know?" All the others just shook their heads.

"Let's go. Don't get in my way." Shane stated as he took his position as well.

~Confessional~

"I hope we win, ya know." Cassie fiddled with her thumbs. "I wanna try and be the team's leader. And I saw that the leader usually wears cool clothes." She proudly said.

~End Confessional~

~Confessional~

Cyrus scratched the back of his head in frustration. "I swear, Valerie is gonna doom us all. If she thinks that cane will help us greatly then that's on her. At least I finally know who to vote first."

~End Confessional~

* * *

 **(Blue Ardonians)**

Everyone had gathered around the metal crate, each peering in at the contents. "So, what do we take?" Sarah broke the silence.

"The handgun. A logical and obvious choice." Nicholas stated matter-of-factly before taking hold of the handgun. "Jude and I can help with the rear end."

Jude nodded in agreement. "Yeah, it's for the best. Arnold, Harvey, and Sarah can take the front."

"In that case…" Harvey took hold of the smoke bombs. "..let's go." He went into position and soon the others followed except for Nelly and Lucy.

~Confessional~

"Look at them. They think they have it all under control. That they have it figured out. I swear, they don't know a thing about Total Drama. Typical muscle heads." Nelly scoffed.

~End Confessional~

~Confessional~

"I think we can win this challenge easy peasy." Sarah said confidently. "I mean, we got people like Nicholas, Arnold, Harvey, Delilah, Nelly, Lucy, and Jude." She added. "Hey wait…"

~End Confessional~

"I wish I had more talents to help the team." Lucy sighed.

"Look, just stick with me and we'll be fine." Nelly grunted. "Just follow what I tell you. We don't have to do what those muscle heads do anyway."

"I see." Lucy complied. They both joined the rest of their team in the starting line.

~Confessional~

"I am not much when it comes to physical challenges." Lucy said softly. "I hope I don't become a burden." Tears formed in her eyes but she fought it back.

~End Confessional~

* * *

 **(Red Sith)**

Terrance and Nataline were currently arguing over what to bring. Jane had already decided to bring the rope and it was up to them to choose the last item. "I'm telling you, the EMP grenades will help us more. In case you didn't know, usually in sci-fi based challenges there are electronics involved." Terrance reasoned.

"But I'm a good shot." Nataline bragged. "I'll make use of that gun more than you with those grenades." She reached over to grab the gun but Terrance was quicker, grabbing all the EMP grenades and then the crate slammed down immediately.

"Ha! Take that, aristocrat." Terrance laughed as he headed to the starting line to join Jane, Tatiana, and Desmond.

"Oooh, can I have one?" Tatiana asked as she reached to grab a grenade from Terrance. The boy simply shrugged her off.

"No. All mine." He said dismissively.

"Hey, sharing is caring." Tatiana pouted.

"Not to mention we could all make us of it." Desmond pointed out.

"No need. This is my stuff now." Terrance possessively declared.

~Confessional~

"Look I don't like people touching my stuff." Terrance inspected an EMP grenade in his hand. "And technically, I got this so it's mine."

~End Confessional~

Nataline banged her fist on top of the crate in annoyance. Wesley went over to comfort her. "Please, try to remain calm. You may still prove useful to the team in other ways."

"But I got nothing to work with." Nataline crossed her arms then mumbled: "Stupid Terrance and his stupid little-"

"I believe in you." Wesley cut her off as he smiled his ever so charming smile. She blushed a little and cleared her throat.

"Right. I AM rather proficient at making plans in a minute." She said that with emphasis and confidence. "Even when under pressure." She hastily added.

"Then I put my faith in you and your grand plans for this challenge." Wesley headed for the starting point and Nataline followed him.

~Confessional~

"I don't know how he did it, but Wesley can sure give a lady's confidence back." Nataline remarked with a slight blush.

~End Confessional~

Chris' hologram appeared at each teams' starting points. "Are you ready?" Cassie tipped her hat forward while Phoebe was already panting heavily while glancing around her. Arnold stretched for a bit while Jude inspected his bow. Terrance placed his hands on his hoodie pockets where the grenades are and Betty snapped a group photo. "Go!" The three teams rushed forth.

* * *

 **(Blue Ardonians)**

The team ran forth with Sarah, Harvey, and Arnold taking the lead, and Nelly and Lucy bringing up the rear. They crossed the wasteland at a fast pace, not once stopping or faltering. "Let's go guys!" Sarah cheered. "If I had my guitar I'd totally a marching theme right now."

"You can play while running?" Arnold inquired.

"Yeah! Who can't?" She replied. Arnold simply shook his head.

"You continue to amaze me, which is awesome!" They both fist bumped.

Delilah slowed down a bit so she could match Nelly's pace. "Hey, I wanted to talk to you about something."

"In the middle of the challenge?" Nelly raised her eyebrow.

"I'll be quick." She dropped her voice into a whisper. "In case we lose, who are you dropping?"

"That is quick." Nelly complimented. "Well, there are a lot of people here I hate already. Like Arnold, and Sarah..and Nicholas.." She listed down.

"Yeah but I'm talking about who to eliminate first." Delilah's frustrated voice was obvious to Nelly.

"We'll see who screws up. Don't wanna vote because of personal opinion alone." She shrugged. With a smirk, she turned to look at Delilah. "I could even vote against you."

Delilah smirked back and kept her gaze forward. "Right. Real threatening." She said with sarcasm. Unknown to them, Lucy can overhear what they were talking about.

~Confessional~

"My parents and friends said I got good hearing." Lucy mentioned. "And I have to say, those two are really weighing their options. I hope it won't be against me." A tear almost rolled down her cheek but she wiped it away.

~End Confessional~

Jude sidled up next to Nicholas. "Hey."

"Hmm?" Nicholas turned to him.

"So, you came here with Lucy right?" Jude asked.

"Yes, that is correct. We spawned in the same location so we decided to go together. There were others too but-"

"Yeah yeah, no need to mention it." Jude interrupted. "I was hoping maybe you could tell me what you know about her. I mean, you are a detective and all that."

"Why do you not ask her yourself? Gather information straight from the person herself." The detective suggested.

"Because…I just can't." He looked away awkwardly. "Come on…anything is fine."

"She is shy, contains unknown talent and skill, does not appear to be one to take initiative, seems to be open-minded." Nicholas listed down. "That is what I have gathered so far from my time with her."

"Thanks. I appreciate it." Jude patted him on the back before going ahead. Nicholas looked after him, deep in thought.

~Confessional~

"There are two things I can conclude from this." Nicholas held up two fingers. "One, Jude fancies Lucy. Two, he is out to get her should elimination befall us. Logically, it would be the latter choice but I see that not everyone is driven by that mindset."

~End Confessional~

 **(Red Sith)**

Terrance and Nataline both raced over who took the actually lead, with Jane and Wesley trailing just behind them. "Everyone, please, we are a team." Wesley tried to calm them both down.

"Shut up, fancy boy." Terrance spat at him. "This isn't like your mansion or perfect garden. This is a wasteland and we're in a challenge. I should take the lead!" He declared firmly. Nataline scoffed at this comment.

"As if you have the brains to lead this team to victory. I can think of far better plans than you." She countered.

"Like that time when we went up against the damn bird? We could have actually avoided that if you weren't so stubborn." He managed to go ahead of her only for her to bump into him.

"You were the one who sabotaged the plan. It would have went smoothly." She defended. Jane pushed herself in between the two.

"Enough! Look, just avoid each other for now okay? Or else I'll tie you both up to a nearby rock." Jane warned.

"Don't do that. It might ruin her pretty little rich dress." Terrance rolled his eyes. Jane punched him in the shoulder.

"I said enough, Terrance. I'm taking the lead." She went on ahead and the other two just huffed. Wesley sighed in relief.

~Confessional~

"I am glad Jane has it under control. I fear that things will only get chaotic from here on out." Wesley frowned.

~End Confessional~

A metallic sound echoed around them as the geysers stopped sprouting gas. From there rose turrets with 4 blaster guns attached to it. Among large rocks scattered around came one singular blaster nozzle. "Well here come the obstacles." Desmond looked around and saw that they were surrounded by these turrets.

"Yah! Finally some action!" Tatiana cheered. A turret fired on her and knocked her forward, making her crash into Betty. "Ow." She moaned.

"Ah! My phone!" Betty's phone came sprawling on the ground. She stood to pick it up, and then a turret fired on her too which made her drop it again.

~Confessional~

"My phone is totes the most important thing in my life." Betty clutched her phone tightly to her chest. "Can't live without this. YOLO!"

~End Confessional~

Felix was bringing up the rear, and upon seeing his teammates get battered by the turrets, instinctively stopped. "Uh…" Some turrets aimed towards him and fired. He was able to tumble to avoid the first blast but got show down by the rest. The others turned back to see him on the floor, his body fading and flickering.

"Felix!" Betty exclaimed. "Like omigosh, what's happening to him?"

"Is he….dying?" Tatiana softly said. Betty slapped her across the face.

"D-don't say that!"

Just then, Chris' hologram appeared among them and he chuckled. "I forgot to tell you guys that once you take enough damage, you are going to 'die'. You will respawn back at your outpost but you're out of the challenge. You need at least one person to raise the flag and win it all. If your team runs out of members, you lose the challenge immediately and will have to face elimination." And with that, the hologram flickered out again. They turned their attention to Felix only to find him already gone.

"Well, I guess that means self-preservation is key." Desmond noted. He looked around some more and found that not all the rocks are equipped with blasters. "Guys, we should take cover in the rocks. The ones that don't have guns!" Everyone nodded and began to run again. Turrets fired from all directions but they were able to avoid all of them. However, Betty got hit in the leg and soon came tumbling on the floor, dragging Wesley down with her.

"My leg…" She groaned as she tried to stand but couldn't. Wesley offered his hand.

"Grab my hand." It was too late, however, since a large blast came towards the ground in between them, knocking back Wesley and making Betty start to flicker away.

"Go on without me, but take some pictures…" She held out her phone but it faded away along with her.

~Confessional~

"Okay so like, physical challenges are sooo not my strong suit." Betty frowned. "#2ndOneOut" She snapped a selfie.

~End Confessional~

 **(Green Drell)**

The team were also currently running, nearing the path that connects to the volcano. "There it is y'all!" Cassie pointed.

"Then let's go." Marvin encouraged. Shane just grunted and ran ahead of them. As he did, turrets spawned from geysers and rocks, shooting him down.

"Tsk." He crouched down behind a large rock. The others did the same but were further away from him. The turrets kept firing at the rock until it crumbled, knocking Shane back. He was pelted from all sides and a cloud of smoke concealed him. When it lifted, they found no more trace of him.

"Ah! W-we lost Shane!" Phoebe was frightened now, shaking as she gripped the rock for dear life.

Cyrus saw that the handgun is safe but out in the open. "I'll go get that. You guys sprint past me and don't look back." He said through gritted teeth, steeling himself for what he must do.

"Wait. Don't-" Despite Cassie's warnings, Cyrus ran ahead and the turrets open fired. Valerie, Ivy, and Marvin all charged forth around the turrets that kept their attention on Cyrus.

The emo boy slid across the ground to grab the gun and avoid the gunfire. He managed to grab it and aimed at one in a rock, directly hitting the inside of the nozzle which caused it to explode. "One down." There was a small screen on the handgun which once read 20, now 19. "Looks like I need to shoot smartly." He noted to himself.

~Confessional~

"I play a couple of FPS games." Cyrus said. "And usually the mission ends before I actually run out of ammo, so this is pretty much a new experience."

~End Confessional~

"Go Cyrus!" Valerie cheered him on. "Let's go before-" A turret aimed at her and fired. "Ahhh!" She held up her cane in defense, and the shot ricocheted and it another turret in a geyser, making it explode as well. "I mean, I meant to do that." She flashed a charming smile.

~Confessional~

"Whatever this thing is made of, I'm glad I chose it." Valerie bragged.

~End Confessional~

~Confessional~

"Whatever." Cyrus rolled his eyes.

~End Confessional~

Phoebe and Richard were both still hiding behind a large rock, refusing to move. "You go first." Richard nudged the doll-faced girl.

"N-no thanks." She shook her head feverishly.

"Come on, stop slackin' off you two." Cassie called out to them.

"Just go ahead. We'll catch up later." Richard called back.

"Ya just gotta run across. See two turrets are gone now." '

"P-please, just l-leave me here." Phoebe begged as curled up.

~Confessional~

"I knew it. Those two are definitely slackers for sure." Cassie said in frustration.

~End Confessional~

 **(Blue Ardonians)**

Everyone was currently taking cover behind several large rocks. Harvey and Arnold were up front thinking of what to do next. "You think we can use those smoke bombs?" Arnold asked the other boy.

"Yeah, don't see why not." He replied. He took out of his pocket and threw it at the middle which soon let out a thick cloud of smoke.

Everyone else caught on to what they are doing. "It seems they plan to use stealth here. It is risky but our tools are limited." Nicholas began to go out of his cover and run ahead, calling out to the others. "Hurry, before the smoke clears."

"Hey wait a minute, what if we get lost?" Nelly narrowed her eyes but was dragged by Delilah forward. "Hey hey!"

"No time. Don't worry, we'll make it." Delilah assured.

"That's not very assuring actually." Nelly muttered.

~Confessional~

"I'm the smartest person in this group. And I know for a fact that this will not end well." Nelly scoffed.

~End Confessional~

As everyone else headed towards the thick smoke, the turrets cease fire. It carefully scanned the area but could not find any of the team. In the midst of the smoke, voices can be heard and a couple of collisions. After a short while it dispersed. The turrets locked in on Nelly and Delilah who seem to be on the ground, rubbing their sore foreheads. The rest of the team ran ahead, forgetting about those two.

"I knew it would end badly." Nelly groaned in annoyance at her partner. "Who did we even bump into?"

"I don't know. I couldn't see." Delilah answered. "Obviously." She added. Both girls screamed as the turrets fired on them, eliminating them from the challenge.

~Confessional~

"Seriously, who did we bump into?" Delilah wondered. "I know that we were heading straight. Hmm…."

~End Confessional~

"Hey did you hear that?" Sarah turned back to see the turrets cooling down as it faced a specific area. "Did someone get shot?"

Nicholas looked around. "Nelly…. and Delilah." He concluded with an even voice.

Tears formed around Lucy's eyes. "What? No. They were right in front of me. How could they get left behind?" Nicholas' eyes narrowed at the scene then back at the pass they are nearing.

"We should go." He said sternly. Lucy simply nodded and followed the rest of her team.

"At least we're here. We should be able to make it up there first." Jude said as he glanced up. They began running up the path.

 **(Red Sith)**

The team is nearing the path but their way is blocked by three turrets. "I got this." Terrance stated proudly as he held up three EMP grenades. "Good thing we chose this." He smirked at Nataline's direction. She simply scoffed.

"Just do what you must." She muttered.

Terrance threw all three at the turrets, creating an electrifying sound followed by the sparks of the turrets, soon disabling them. "Alright! Onward to victory!" Tatiana cheered.

"Let's keep our cool guys." Jane instructed. "It's still a long climb ahead." They ran towards the path.

The temperature got hotter which made it harder to concentrate. Wesley began tugging at his collar while Terrance rolled up his sleeves. Jane wiped the sweat from her forehead as she lead the team through the path. Desmond is right behind her, also covered in sweat. "What happens when we run into the other team?" He asked her in a low voice.

"We push them off the path. No permanent harm done." Jane shrugged like that question was the easiest one to answer.

"And if we fall instead? We are in front." He pointed out.

Jane held out her rope. "There are rocks protruding out around the volcano, it will be easy to climb back up with this."

~Confessional~

"I feel like Desmond is underestimating me because I'm a girl." Jane frowned and clenched her fist. "But I'll just have to prove that I can survive this no problem."

~End Confessional~

As they kept running, Wesley and Nataline began to slow down. "I know now that I should have gone for something more rural like Jane said." The former panted weakly.

"And my dress is simply wearing me down." Nataline added.

"What's wrong? Not used outside of the city?" Terrance taunted the two. "Guess we found your limits."

"Shut it, Terrance." Nataline glared at him through gritted teeth. "We're not done yet. Isn't that right, Wesley?" She looked back only to find him on all fours, panting heavily.

"Pardon but I'm afraid you're going to have to continue on without me." He apologized. "I cannot continue any further."

"What? Come on, Wesley! It is just a little further." Nataline urged. Wesley didn't respond and simply leaned against the wall.

"Forget it, Nataline." Jane interrupted. "We're running out of time."

~Confessional~

"I told them they should have worn rural clothes." Jane shrugged innocently.

~End Confessional~

~Confessional~

"I hope I did not waste too much time." Wesley frowned. "I like to think I did my best."

~End Confessional~

 **(Green Drell)**

The team is already running along the volcano path by now with Cassie and Cyrus in the lead. "Hustle everyone!" Cassie tried to encourage though her voice is getting weaker and weaker. They neared the first intersection and came face to face with the Blue Ardonians. "Whoa!" She halted and so did Cyrus. The latter had pointed his gun forward at Arnold who instinctively raised his hands.

"Hey hey now. Careful with that thing." Arnold said nervously.

Valerie shouted out to Cyrus. "Fire on them! Eliminate them from this challenge."

The emo smiled wickedly and fired at Arnold. The boy got knocked back and almost teetering over the edge. He fired again and that sent his figure falling down but his avatar disappeared before he hit the ground.

"No!" Sarah exclaimed in shock. She charged at Cyrus and knocked him to the ground, making his gun fall over the edge. "Why you…" She wrestled with him on the ground, the other boy clearly losing. Cassie tried to lift her off of him, and was surprised when she easily did so and pushed her back.

"Well I'll be…How did I get this strong?" She saw that her suit's highlights glowed. "Good thing I picked this up." She nodded to herself.

~Confessional~

"That little emo kid is gonna get it for shooting Arnold!" Sarah said angrily.

~End Confessional~

~Confessional~

"I did not know Sarah could get so….violent." Cyrus rubbed his arm in pain.

~End Confessional~

Valerie moved up front, wielding her cane like a baton. "Don't worry, this super awesome cane will win it for us." She brought it down on Sarah but a hand caught it in midair. She looked up to see Nicholas there with an expressionless face.

"Not so fast." He punched her in the gut and she doubled over, groaning in pain. Nicholas followed up again by thrusting the dull side of the cane against her, knocking her over the edge. All that can be heard was her scream as her avatar flickered out. Now in possession of the cane, the detective expertly twirled it around and taunted Cassie. "Well? Let's dance." He said evenly.

'Let's go on ahead." Harvey whispered to the rest of his team. They all nodded and circled around Nicholas and Cassie and hurried up the path again. Nicholas reached behind him and secretly handed the gun to Jude as they went past him.

"They're getting away. We gotta beat them." Cyrus grunted.

"Go on ahead." Cassie commanded. "I got this one."

Cyrus, Ivy, and Marvin nodded and headed up after them. "I wonder why we got no instructions for those tools we got." Marvin said to no one in particular.

"Probably Chris' own way of screwing us over." Cyrus rolled his eyes. "Right, Ivy?" The girl just stared ahead blankly as she ran. "Ivy?" Cyrus snapped his fingers in front of her but she just kept running ahead.

"Look out!" Marvin warned. He and Cyrus barely stopped just when The Red Sith came up the second intersection. "That was close." He exhaled.

Ivy, however, kept going forward and ended up crashing into Jane. Both girls tipped over the edge and fell although Jane managed to use her rope in the last minute to grab on to a jagged rock. "I'm okay." She called out.

Terrance looked over and saw Ivy continuing to fall down. "Well that's that." He remarked.

 **(Cassie vs Nicholas)**

Standing on opposite sides are the two contestants, with Nicholas blocking the path upwards. "Y'all wanna do this the easy way or the hard way?" Cassie tipped her hate forward and glared at him.

"No matter what way you decide, the outcome remains the same." Nicholas simply countered back, readying the cane.

"Don't look down on me. Tener contigo!" She yelled as she charged forward, fists raised. She punched him in the chest only to have her attack blocked by his hand. The boy raised his cane to hit her at the side but the suit gave her quicker reflexes to block it halfway. "Hah!"

~Confessional~

"That suit is giving me a harder time than I predicted." Nicholas pondered in thought. "However, I can tell you that her moves are very much predictable."

~End Confessional~

Cassie delivered a roundhouse kick but Nicholas jumped back, sending himself over the edge. "What!?" She was shocked by this and had to look over the edge. Suddenly, Nicholas leaped past her and landed behind her and now thrusting the cane against her torso. She was able to look back in time and block it with both hands but her footing isn't holding out.

"This is the end of the line for you." Nicholas stated.

"Not yet." She jumped high into the air and was about to kick downwards when Nicholas held the cane on either end and pushed it upwards, connecting it with her foot. "No!"

"You lose." He pushed the cane upwards and then thrust it at the wall, giving him a platform to jump at and kick her out of the edge. She screamed as she fell off the volcano with Nicholas grabbing on to the rocky ledge to save himself.

~Confessional~

"I don't believe this, y'all. That must be some fine city moves he pulled on me." Cassie said sadly.

~End Confessional~

 **(Red Sith, Green Drell, Blue Ardonians)**

Their path was currently blocked by the two people from Green Drell, Cyrus and Marvin. Desmond stepped forward and so did Tatiana. "We'll cut them off here. They won't get past us." Desmond stated firmly.

"Yeah. It's time the party made some big moves of their own." Tatiana said with a smile and a thumbs up. The rest nodded and went on ahead.

Cyrus was suddenly shot twice from behind. "Argh." He got on his knees as his figure began to fade and flicker away. He turned around at the last second to see Jude aiming the gun at him.

"Oh no. They got guns!" Tatiana panicked. Marvin stood there, pressing himself against the wall for comfort and safety. Sarah and Harvey stepped forward.

"Harvey, now!" Sarah exclaimed. Harvey nodded once and threw a smoke bomb at the middle. Everyone began to cough as they all got enveloped in the smoke. Silhouettes moved and pushed which was accompanied by constant grunting and yells.

The smoke lifted, and all that was left was Marvin who was still leaning against the wall, Sarah who was on the ground in pain, Desmond who was hanging by the rocky ledge and Tatiana's screams as she plummeted downwards and out of the challenge.

 **(Red Sith vs Blue Ardonians)**

Jude, Harvey, and Lucy were racing upwards to catch up with Terrance, Nataline, and Jane who were close to reaching the top. They caught up to them just at the top and saw the three flags over at the other side. A steel bridge is their only means of getting to the other side unless they risk going from the corners.

"Why don't you just give up now?" Jude smirked as he waved the gun around. Terrance responded by taking out an EMP grenade from his pocket and threw it at them without warning. Jude immediately took aim and fired it in midair, creating a blast of sparks that knocked Terrance back.

"Ugh." He moaned.

"See?" Jude smirked again.

Harvey took out the last smoke bomb. "We have to risk this." He told the rest of his team. Lucy was hesitant but didn't say anything and Jude simply gave a thumbs up.

"We got this. They won't know what hit 'em." He replied to Harvey.

That was his cue. He threw it on the ground between them and the Red Sith, once again creating a field of smoke. "I'll go get the flag, you both try and stall them." Jane ordered. "Don't worry, I know my way around a fog."

~Confessional~

"Back at home I used to go to places with thick fog and even once made my way to our uncle's cabin in a blizzard." Jane stated with confidence.

~End Confessional~

Terrance and Nataline both found Lucy and Harvey near the bridge about to cross. Terrance tackled the other boy while Nataline blocked Lucy's path. "You shall not pass, even if it's you Lucy."

"I understand." Lucy replied softly. "It is a fight for first place after all." She tried to get around her but the other girl was quicker.

"Hah!" Terrance tumbled down with Harvey, both nearing the edge and Terrance being on top. However, Harvey easily turned the tides around and making him on top.

"Look man, I don't wanna hurt you." He said to the smaller boy.

"That's your loss." Terrance did a left hook but Harvey easily blocked it. "Gah. Let go."

"You can struggle all you want but I'm still the bigger person, yo." Harvey explained.

Meanwhile, Jane and Jude were pushing against each other on the bridge. Jude tried shooting her but his aim was off. "Give up already." Jane demanded as he pushed him towards the railing. Jude hit his gut but managed to stick his foot out to trip the girl.

"Not my style." He said as he started running again. Jane grabbed his ankle and pulled him down which made him drop his gun and it fell into the lava. "No!"

"Yes!" Jane stood up and so did Jude. Both were still pushing against each other as they reached the end of the bridge. They both did one final dash and one of them managed to get their team's flag first….

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Jude held up their team's flag victoriously. "Yessss! We won!" He cheered. From the other side, Lucy cheered in a not so loud way and Nataline muttered and sweared under breath.

Chris' hologram appeared in front of Jude. "Congratulations, Blue Ardonians. You won the first team challenge for this season. Your dinner reward will be served shortly in your outpost. As for the Red Sith, since you got second place you'll have a decent dinner and will also not vote someone off."

Marvin got up the path panting and breathing heavily. Chris turned to him. "Green Drell, I'll see you all tonight at the elimination ceremony. Oh yeah, I forgot to mention that all teams have to watch the elimination. It's more embarrassing that way." He laughed and the hologram flickered out.

"Dammit. So close." Jane cursed. Jude offered to shake hands.

"Hey, good challenge." He said. She turned away from him.

"Don't let that victory get to you." She irritably said to him as she stormed off to join Nataline and Terrance.

* * *

 **(Green Drell)**

Marvin got back to the outpost only to find Valerie and Richard yelling at each other.

"If you guys just went up there and helped us, maybe we wouldn't have lost!" Valerie snapped.

"Oh yeah!? Maybe if you actually used some good items maybe you guys wouldn't suck so much!" Richard argued.

"What!? That makes no sense! You both didn't have anything to help the team. And don't say that your music sheets will bring us to victory because that's stupid!" Valerie snapped back.

"Well…It can if I want to…" Richard crossed his arms and looked away. He then went to the boys' bedroom and closed the door behind him. Phoebe was cowering in a corner and Cassie was trying to comfort her.

"P-please stop y-yelling." Phoebe begged. Valerie saw this and despite her anger, she calmed down.

"Right. Right…sorry. Getting mad and lashing out like that isn't sexy." She finally said.

Shane grunted and pushed Marvin aside as he went outside. Cassie called Marvin over to join her. "So, about the vote?"

Marvin tapped his chin in thought. "I think we should drop Richard." He said softly. Cassie nodded in agreement and Phoebe was too shaken up to respond.

"Yeah. He's like a mighty fine piece of work….except it's useless." Cassie agreed.

"I'm g-gonna go back to my r-room first." Phoebe stated as she excused herself. Cassie then took Marvin outside.

"What do we do about Phoebe?" She asked him. He simply shook his head without a second thought.

"I don't think it's right to vote her out now. We'll see how she performs in the next challenge. I have a feeling she can contribute better than Richard at least."

"What makes ya say that?" Cassie inquired.

"For starters, she actually brings out this feeling of peace or something like that." He rubbed the back of his head. "You saw how Valerie calmed down immediately. Let's make Phoebe stay a while longer." Despite the night, Cassie could still see Marvin's blush.

~Confessional~

"And here it is, y'all. This guy likes the doll." Cassie sighed. "But I don't wanna split the votes so I'll vote for Richard too."

~End Confessional~

~Confessional~

"Like those guys understand real music…" Richard scoffed. "I swear if they hear my the perfect symphony that I will create, they'll eat those words."

~End Confessional~

* * *

 **(Elimination Ceremony)**

Everyone was gathered around certain area in the wasteland that had rocks as chairs. Torchlight illuminated the place and the Green Drell took their seats in the middle along with the Chris hologram that stood before them. The other contestants took their seats on the sides. Phoebe was seated beside Cyrus and she could hear him mutter a poem as he looked down.

 _Eight teens formed a rather shaky team_

 _Driven by desire and individual scheme_

 _Soon one of their own will have their dreams denied_

 _As they walk out of this game and tossed to the side_

Phoebe looked up at him and he noticed her staring. "What?" He glared at her.

"Eek!" She immediately looked back down and adjusted her sitting position, though she had a little blush on her face and a slight smile.

The Chris hologram snapped his fingers and energy flickered in and formed seven containers of space food. "Alright, welcome to your first elimination ceremony, Green Drell." He said. Everyone was silent. "What? No side comments?"

"Just get on with it." Shane grunted.

Chris frowned and muttered under his breath: "Party pooper." He then cleared his throat and continued. "So this is how it's gonna be. You're all gonna vote right in this confessional stall." He snapped his fingers again and a stall flickered in front of him, and inside is a panel containing the portraits of the members of Green Drell. "Then I'll read the votes once you're done. Okay? Let's get on with the voting then!"

"Okay, the votes are in." Chris exclaimed. "If you receive a container, then you're safe." Everyone nodded. "Ivy, Marvin, Cassie, Cyrus, you're all safe." He tossed four canisters at them which they all caught.

"Also safe…Phoebe!" He tossed one to Phoebe who gasped and failed to catch it. "The remained people received votes but the next one safe is…..Shane!"

The boy caught the canister and sighed. Richard and Valerie looked at each other nervously. "What? People voted for me?" Valerie was sounding panicked.

"And me? But I'm a good player." Richard said as well. Cyrus snickered and Cassie rolled her eyes at this comment.

"Enough talking! The one who will receive this final container of space food is…

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…..Valerie!" The flirt caught her container and hugged it tightly.

"Oh yes!" She cheered for herself.

"Oh no.." Richard looked down in defeat. "Fine. Whatever. Just get me out of this stupid game. I have better things to do than play around with people without a life."

"At least we have fashion sense." Sarah called out from the sidelines. Most of the contestants chuckled in agreement. This made Richard more mad.

"Argh! I don't care anymore!" He turned to Chris. "How do I get outta here?"

"Look above you." Chris simply said. Richard did, and saw a beam of light crash down at him. Everyone saw his silhouette gradually become more and more blurred until it is gone and the beam stopped.

"W-what?" Phoebe tried to say. "Eeeekk! Did you k-kill Richard!?"

"What, no." Chris defended. "His avatar is simply out of this virtual reality now. He's fine."

"O-okay." Phoebe calmed down as she continued to stare at the rock Richard used to sit on.

"Whoa. Intense, dudes." Arnold said.

"Such technological advancement." Terrance added.

'Anyway, you're all free to go now. Enjoy the night while you can because tomorrow is another day!" Chris laughed as his hologram flickered out. Everyone else went back to their outpost to rest.

 **~Votes~**

Valerie: I vote for Richard. He's too toxic and unattractive. Augh.

Ivy: Um, I guess I vote for Shane. He got killed first.

Shane: I overheard Cassie and Marvin. I'll go with their vote against Richard.

Cassie: I vote for Richard. Guy's like a raging bull without his music, except it's not intimidating.

Marvin: Hmm…I vote for Richard.

Richard: I vote for Valerie. That'll teach her to trash talk my music.

Cyrus: I'm gonna vote for Richard. He's too annoying. It's like somebody missed their morning coffee.

Phoebe: I t-think I'm gonna vote for Valerie. She is too mean and s-scary.

 **~Eliminated~**

(24th place) Richard - The Maestro

* * *

Chris was seen back at the Drama Dome smiling his trademark smile. "And there you have it, our first elimination! Poor Richard didn't get any love from his teammates tonight. Or from anyone for that matter." He chuckled. "Will the Green Drell make a comeback? Will Shane bother to work with his team? What secrets does Lucy hide? Find out next time on Total..Drama…Sci-Fi Showdown!"

* * *

 **Okay so that's the first team challenge, guys. For Richard, he was always fodder. I planned for him to fail and fail he did. There is just no way I can make him look good when all he does is rant about his music and not contributing to the challenge. I already have a set of challenges up so I'll ask again when I need it. Until then! Thank you for reading! :3 XBloodLegendX**


	4. Chapter 4: Smuggle and Defend

"Last time on Total Drama Sci-Fi Showdown…" Chris started. "The three teams braved the desolate wasteland and ran up the volcanic path to reach their flags. Phoebe and Richard wanted no part of it while the entire Blue Ardonians team had a blast, minus Nelly of course." The hologram showed the top of the volcano where the Red Sith faced off against the Blue Ardonians. "The Red Sith were close, but the Blue Ardonians made one last hustle and Jude brought home the bacon in the end, sending their team in first place. The Green Drell lost, making them face the very first elimination ceremony of the season and Richard was the unlucky one out." He chuckled. "What challenge awaits them next? Will the Green Drell make a comeback? Will Phoebe finally be useful in challenges? Can Jane carry her team in this next one? Find out right now on Total…Drama..Sci-Fi Showdown!"

* * *

 **(Red Sith)**

Jane woke up first and sat up, stretching a bit before standing up and heading for the door. "Another day, another challenge." She muttered to herself.

~Confessional~

"We were so close to winning that last challenge." Jane angrily muttered. "That Jude better not let it get to his head."

~End Confessional~

Nataline opened one eye and watched her go. She looked around and saw that the rest of the girls are still asleep.

~Confessional~

"Yesterday showed that the Blue Ardonians are no pushovers." Nataline furrowed her brow. "I need to find a weakness in them."

~End Confessional~

Nataline got up and saw that Tatiana was also getting up. "Pleasant morning, noble lady." She greeted in a medieval accent again.

Nataline can't help but giggle. "Always in a good mood."

Tatiana smiled back sheepishly. "It's just that Jane took the defeat a bit harsh yesterday. I hate to have to lose again."

"Likewise." Nataline agreed. The two girls headed outside and into the living room. Betty was left there alone and they didn't know that she was actually awake and typing down something on her phone.

~Confessional~

"Okay so I like totes decided to make myself more useful by jotting down everyone's strong and weak points." Betty explained. "I can't wait to tell them what I've got."

~End Confessional~

Jane saw Terrance, Felix, and Desmond hanging out at the living room with Terrance fiddling with the last EMP grenade in boredom. "Hey Jane." Felix greeted.

Terrance looked up to see her too. "Sup."

"Sorry about the challenge guys." She apologized. "I should have done better. We wasted precious resources." She waved towards Terrance's grenade.

"Don't worry about it. I was the one who thought it was a good idea to throw it at Jude. Never underestimate that guy's accuracy." He placed hands in his hoodie pockets. "Anyways, what do you think the challenge will be?"

"I hope it's something physical again." Jane said hopefully. "I promise I'll prove my worth this time. Oh, and what happened to Wesley?"

Desmond cast his gaze towards the bedroom. "He was really worn out. We decided not to wake him." He then stood up and headed towards the front door. "I'll go get some fresh air. Felix, wanna come with?" The prankster nodded unenthusiastic about it.

~Confessional~

"It's hard to lead a team when Terrance keeps his own devices and Wesley being so nice to everything that breathes." Desmond sighed. "I hope I can get Felix to side with me here. In fact, I might rope in Nataline too."

~End Confessional~

~Confessional~

"Since the boys are gone now, maybe I can talk to Terrance in private." Jane said.

~End Confessional~

"So, Terrance…"Jane started as the boys left the outpost.

"Yeah?" Terrance stopped playing with the grenade and gave her his attention.

"You interested in an alliance with me?" She suggested with a firm voice, though it still shook as she said it. She immediately cleared her throat. "I mean, I find you competent and you look like you know what you're doing, so maybe we should work together towards the merge."

The boy furrowed his brow considering her offer.

~Confessional~

"On one hand, having Jane on my corner can give me safety in elimination and from Nataline." Terrance looked one open palm. Then he looked at the other. "On the other hand, she's a girl and I'm still not completely comfortable with aligning myself with one. Even if she isn't a popular type or anything."

~End Confessional~

"Maybe we shouldn't be talking about this." Terrance said warily and cautiously. "We should think about winning."

"We're gonna face elimination someday." Jane reasoned. "It's best to be prepared and-" She stopped talking when Nataline and Tatiana walked out from the bedroom.

"The cavalry has arrived!" Tatiana exclaimed happily.

~Confessional~

"We need to get some positive vibes here. No use being toxic, right?" Tatiana beamed.

~End Confessional~

Meanwhile, Felix and Desmond stepped outside to see that they are back in the clearing where the outpost originally was. "Looks like Chris reverted it back to normal." Felix noted.

"Nothing is normal here, Felix." Desmond stated. "Just like our team."

"What? What about our team?" Felix frowned.

"I wanna know what you think of our odds when elimination comes. I'm even willing to work with you instead of eliminating you for that prank you pulled on me." Desmond crossed his arms.

"Hey, all in the spirit of April Fools." Felix laughed but then stopped when he realized Desmond wasn't laughing along. He cleared his throat. "I mean, even if we align with each other, we're still in the minority."

"I'll get Nataline to join us." Desmond simply responded.

"What? That rich girl?" Felix inquired. "The one with issues against Terrance?"

"Yes, her." Desmond confirmed. "We need her to join us to get a bigger influence on the team."

"Why can't we just get Terrance? He seems cooler. Not to mention he's good in challenges." Felix pointed out.

"But what are the odds that he'll accept?" Desmond countered back. "He might be good but I don't get the feeling he's a team player."

"I see." Felix said, still confused. "Nataline it is then."

~Confessional~

"I'm not into this strategy talk. All I do is prank people. I hope I find good stuff in the next challenge that I can use. Hehehe.." Felix chuckled mischievously.

~End Confessional~

* * *

 **(Green Drell)**

Cyrus was currently talking to Cassie in the living room, with Shane outside to get some fresh air. "It's mighty good that Chris let us enjoy the forest again." Cassie smiled. Cyrus groaned in response.

"I'm not a fan of nature. I like to stay indoors if I can help it." He replied.

"What about your exercise?" Cassie pointed out.

"I don't need it." Cyrus rolled his eyes.

"But it's important." Cassie insisted. "How do you stay healthy then?"

"I eat a balanced diet..." Cyrus defended. "…with extra coke." He added shyly.

"Them city folks really don't care about fitness anymore." Cassie shook her head in disappointment.

~Confessional~

"I was wondering why not everyone here on this team are into physical challenges." Cassie realized. "I oughta help them out on that."

~End Confessional~

Valerie was awake in the girls' bedroom. She is currently staring at Phoebe who is applying her make-up. "Why do you wear make-up everyday?" She asked.

"Mom said it's so I can look g-good on TV." Phoebe replied meekly.

"But you stutter and you sucked at that last challenge." Valerie snorted snidely. Then her expression softened when she saw Phoebe look at her sadly.

"S-sorry." She managed to say.

"Hey now…."Valerie tried to comfort. "Look I'm trying to be positive about this team, but not everyone gets along. Or at least they don't bother trying." She went over to Phoebe's bed. "So sorry if I come off as harsh or mean or anything."

"O-okay. It's okay." Phoebe smiled her cute smile. Valerie beamed at this.

"You're so cute! Damn, how could I stay mad at you?" She hugged the other girl. Phoebe was taken aback.

"Eeek! Please l-let go." She pleaded.

"Just five more seconds." Valerie purred as she hugged her tightly.

"Eeek!"

~Confessional~

"Maybe Valerie isn't such a bad p-person after all." Phoebe rubbed her arm. "Now I feel bad for voting her last night."

~End Confessional~

* * *

 **(Blue Ardonians)**

The only ones currently awake on the team are Nicholas, Lucy, Nelly, and Arnold as they sit back in the living room and chatting.

"Yo, dudes, lets go ace this next challenge again!" Arnold exclaimed.

Nelly rolled her eyes. "I hope it isn't anything solely physical. I can't show off what I can do and now I feel freaking useless." She angrily muttered.

"What is it you are good at, Nelly?" Nicholas inquired. "Academics?"

"Get me a computer and I'll show you." Nelly smirked. "Unless if you want me to state the entire periodic table right now."

"Bo-ring." Arnold gagged. "Physical challenges rule!"

"Only a barbarian would agree with you." Nelly scoffed.

"Oh yeah? Well only a nerd with no life would agree with you. No wonder you're so scrawny." Arnold countered.

"Everyone please-" Lucy started.

"Stay outta this!" They both said in unison as they glared at Lucy. She then looked down in fright with tears welling up in her eyes though no one noticed that.

~Confessional~

"Why can't we all just get along?" Lucy sniffed. "We're a good team. We even won that last challenge."

~End Confessional~

~Confessional~

"I see it now." Nicholas realizes. "Nelly utilizes her mind molded by the academe to get far in her life while Arnold relies on his physical assets to achieve his wants." He looked down, deep in thought. "In order to maximize team effectiveness…Hmm"

~End Confessional~

Sarah and Jude went out of the bedrooms to see the bickering going on.

"Hey hey hey. What's with this?" Jude stepped in. He then saw Lucy on the brink of tears. "You're making Lucy cry." He slammed the table to get both of their attentions.

"Arnold, take a chill pill." Sarah said as she placed her hand on Arnold's shoulder. The boy blushed and looked away.

"Right. Sorry." He muttered an apology.

"And you!" Sarah spat and glared at Nelly. "You've been negative ever since this team formed. You better get your damn social game in check."

"Tsk. I don't have to justify myself to you brutes. Rockers like you are obviously obnoxious punks who can't get a decent life going on." Nelly spat back. She stood up and headed for the main entrance.

"Where the hell are you going?" Sarah raised an eyebrow.

"None of your business." Nelly angrily said as she got out and the others realized that they are back in the river area.

"Interesting. The scenery went back to normal." Nicholas noted.

"A fight just broke out and that's all you gotta comment on?" Jude snickered. Nicholas nodded without emotion.

"Yes." Was all he said in respond. "The bickering is useless and unnecessary. Only logic stands true."

"Well…Whatever works for you." Jude shrugged.

~Confessional~

"Nicholas is…how do I put this?" Jude scratches the back of his head. "He's logical, yes. But sometimes, too logical. It's like he's a robot."

~End Confessional~

~Confessional~

"Brutes like them can never understand. They probably failed in trigonometry and algebra, which is too easy by the way." Nelly said haughtily. "They can never live in real life if they can't use their brain cells, assuming they have any."

~End Confessional~

Chris' hologram appeared in the room with them. "Hey, how's everyone's morning?" He then snorted. "Actually, I don't care. Anyway, make sure everyone is back inside the outpost in ten minutes. We don't want any avatars morphing along with the scenery, now would we?" He laughed as the hologram flickered out.

"Should we go call Nelly?" Lucy asked around.

Nicholas stood up. "I'll do it." He left the outpost to get the nerd back.

Once everyone was safe inside their respective outposts, the doors immediately locked itself and a barrier was placed around the place. The jungle scenery vanished, flickering out in blue sparks that soon reformed to create a new scenery. This one looked city-like. It was futuristic, with various races from different planets all gathered around like a metropolis. It is currently day time and all the contestants got out of their respective outposts to admire the new area.

 **(Red Sith)**

"I don't believe it." Tatiana's mouth was agape and she stood there awestruck. "It's an alien city."

Terrance looked at a few flyers lying around as well as a map. "No way." He turned to his teammates. "We're in Coruscant!"

Tatiana was wide eyed when she heard that but Wesley wore a confused look. "Pardon me." He frowned. "What is this…Coruscant?"

"It's an alien planet where aliens hang out. Think of it like New York or Tokyo except it's with aliens." Felix explained nonchalantly. Jane, Nataline, and Wesley still looked confused while Betty was taking pictures.

~Confessional~

"This is legit cool." Terrance beamed. "I've always wanted to be in an alien city. I wonder if we'll meet the Senate."

~End Confessional~

~Confessional~

"I hope Terrance and Tatiana will help us out here." Jane wore a confused look on her face. "I'm not familiar with this sci fi themed season anyway. I just came here to improve myself."

~End Confessional~

~Confessional~

"I mean it IS a city." Nataline pondered. "I should at least be able to pull my weight on my end whatever the challenge may be."

~End Confessional~

 **(Green Drell)**

"Eek! S-sorry!" Phoebe apologized to a blue skinned alien as she accidentally bumped into her. 'W-where are we?"

"I don't know." Cyrus shrugged. "But I can use this for some inspiration."

"Interesting. I have yet to see a human soul here." Marvin said as he stared as the passersby.

"I wonder what Chris is up to." Valerie shook her head. "I love the city no joke, but this place isn't exactly where I'd go shopping."

"Aw, this isn't my strong suit y'all." Cassie frowned. "The setting is for city folks."

Shane was staring at some shady people carrying boxes and loading it into what looked like levitating transportation vehicles. It was long and can house only one person which is the rider. The cargo seemed to go at the back into some kind of compartment. He looked at the corner of the street and saw a couple of men fully dressed in white armor and helmets with blaster guns in their hands known as clone troopers.

~Confessional~

"It's like any ordinary city." Shane said. "Unaware passersby. Smugglers. Guards. Except they're not human."

~End Confessional~

~Confessional~

"Gosh, it's another city alright. I wonder if I'll be any good this challenge y'know?" Cassie wondered as she tipped her hat forward.

~End Confessional~

~Confessional~

"I usually go on places with big gardens and a quiet atmosphere like parks." Ivy said. "The city isn't where I can find happiness."

~End Confessional~

 **(Blue Ardonians)**

Everyone had mixed expressions when they took in the city atmosphere. Nicholas and Lucy remained calm and collected. Arnold, Sarah, and Delilah were all awestruck. Nelly glared at some of the passersby who glanced at her. Jude and Harvey all checked out the flyers with confusion.

"Coruscant?" Jude looked towards his teammates. "What?"

"You don't watch Star Wars, huh?" Nelly remarked.

"Sorry we're not nerds like you." Arnold scoffed. "We got lives, you know."

Nelly fumed. "I swear you wouldn't know how to survive this place without me! Listen up. This city accommodates many kinds of alien life which is why you barely see any humans walking about." She gestured around her.

"But they are all intelligent life forms, yes?" Nicholas inquired.

"Don't interrupt me!" Nelly snapped. "Yes, they are intelligent to some degree. But don't let the other races fool you. It's just like any ordinary big city."

Delilah rested her gaze on a clothes shop. "Well, they do have some…exquisite tastes in clothes." She cringed.

Lucy looked at the clone troopers nearby with their blaster guns. "And their guards look scary and weird." She pointed out.

Arnold raised his hand. "Yo what do they do for sports here?"

Nelly just facepalmed.

~Confessional~

"I get it. I'm a nerd so I should know everything about Star Wars. But can they just find that out themselves and get some exposure? God." Nelly grumbled.

~End Confessional~

~Confessional~

"Nelly sounds like such a know-it-all." Sarah sneered. "What a nerd."

~End Confessional~

They saw the clone troopers chase after a man who just closed the compartment of his speeder. "Halt!" One of them said.

"It's a smuggler. Don't let him escape!" His companion said.

However, the man got on the vehicle and drove away and out of firing range of the clone troopers' blasters. Nicholas stepped forward but Nelly stopped him.

"Whoa whoa whoa. Are you seriously gonna chase after him?" Nelly exclaimed in shock. "I know you're a detective but leave it to the justice system here. You could get in trouble yourself or hurt you know."

"That is for me to decide. If there are smugglers, then I must see to it that they are apprehended." Nicholas shoved her aside but this time Harvey stopped him.

"Hey man. Look, being the law enforcer is cool n' all but if you get in trouble out here I don't think Chris will approve. The guards look capable enough anyway." He glanced towards the clone troopers who seem to have mounted on their own speeders and chased the smuggler into the city.

~Confessional~

"I simply can't help myself." Nicholas said evenly. "The law must be upheld at all costs. These smugglers should have chosen an honest way of living."

~End Confessional~

~Confessional~

"I respect the guy, you know. "Harvey stated. "I really do. But sometimes he can get in over the head with this whole justice thing. Are all detectives like this?"

~End Confessional~

* * *

Chris' hologram appeared in front of them, grinning his signature smile. "So, how's the new place? This is where you'll do your next challenge." Two more holograms appeared, one showing five speeders similar to what the smuggler used, the other showing the specific area in the city which looks like a storage area of some sort.

"Five of you will have to take the reins of these speeders containing smuggled goods." Chris smirked. "You have to bypass the city guards and defenses in order to get to this storage hanger here. The other two members must act as heads of the city's defenses, doing whatever it takes to prevent the other two teams from reaching the storage hanger." He then flashed a smile and smirked. "Now then, who will do what? And the Blue Ardonians and Red Sith has to sit someone out of this for team balance and all."

"I like to volunteer for that." Lucy raised her hand. "I'm not good at driving or defending a city."

"I'll become a city guard. Doing criminal work is against all what I worked hard to become." Nicholas stated simply.

"Me too. I'm more familiar with this territory than you guys so I'll defend." Nelly added.

"Why? Because you're an alien?" Arnold snickered and Sarah laughed with him.

Nelly glared and was simmering with rage. "Shut up!"

~Confessional~

"I hate those two! I swear I wanna vote them off first chance I get! Ugh." Nelly crossed her arms in anger.

~End Confessional~

~Confessional~

"Arnold's pretty funny." Sarah said while grinning. "I like that guy."

~End Confessional~

 **(Red Sith)**

"So who'll sit this one out?" Jane asked everyone.

"I think I should do it." Wesley frowned. "I have not learned how to drive yet."

"So am I." Tatiana pointed out. "But I wanna be in it because it's so cool! Smuggling goods on the low and taking it to the streets for a high speed chase! Yeah!" Some passersby looked at her funny and she immediately drew back. "Ehehehe…"

"Now who wants to be on the defense?" Jane looked around for any volunteers. Terrance, Nataline, and Felix all shot up their hands. "Hey Chris said only two."

"I can build us some good defenses. It's my forte." Terrance reasoned. Jane nodded.

"Yeah you look like the type." She then turned towards Nataline and Felix. "Only one of you can join him."

"I can prank 'em!" Felix said proudly. "They'll never see it coming."

"How childish. The city is my home and I am unparalleled in this battlefield. I can most definitely plan a strategic tactic to help the defense." Nataline reasoned.

"That's boring." Felix grumbled.

"It's efficient and effective." Nataline glared as she countered back.

"Why not rock-paper-scissors it?" Betty suggested. "Whoever wins gets the spot."

Both people nodded and stuck out their fists. "One..two..three..draw!" Nataline showed an open palm while Felix showed a closed fist.

"Paper beats rock, I'm afraid." She smirked.

"Damn." Felix cursed. "Welp, back to boredom."

"But smuggling is fun." Tatiana pouted.

"He probably doesn't even have the slightest idea on how to run the defense anyway." Nataline shrugged.

"Why? Because I'm a commoner?" Felix raised his eyebrow, annoyed.

"I said no such thing. But if the shoe fits…" She smirked.

~Confessional~

"Honestly, why do people like Nataline and Wesley get to compete anyway? They got loads of money back home!" Felix complained.

~End Confessional~

~Confessional~

"Here we go again with one of Nataline's plans." Terrance rolled his eyes.

~End Confessional~

~Confessional~

"This is one challenge I can definitely be good at." Nataline said confidently. "I used to log hours into reading books that talk about war tactics and defense tactics used in combat. I…wonder why I actually covered those sometimes."

~End Confessional~

 **(Green Drell)**

"So, how do we split the work y'all?" Cassie asked her teammates.

"Smuggler." Shane crossed his arms.

"Smuggler." Valerie and Cyrus said in unison. The former winked at the latter but he simply rolled his eyes.

"I reckon I can be good at the defense." Cassie announced.

"Same here. I know a thing or two about how to defend the base." Marvin added.

"U-um, that means I g-get to be a smuggler r-right?" Phoebe squeaked out.

"Is that a problem? Can't you drive?" Valerie inquired.

"My d-daddy taught me how to ride a bicycle and I p-picked up a little on how to ride a m-motorcycle so it should be fine." Phoebe said with a smile. Cassie looked at her warily.

"Ya sure?" Cassie asked. "We can trade places if ya want."

"N-no no. I can manage." Phoebe assured.

~Confessional~

"Is this her way of making it up to us for that last challenge?" Cassie wondered. "I mean I know I said I ain't letting slackers stay on my team but even then I wonder if she'll be fine ya know."

~End Confessional~

~Confessional~

"I d-don't wanna go home." Phoebe tried to say with conviction. "I-I have to do m-my best today."

~End Confessional~

The city guards of each team got on a bus-like transportation and headed to the storage area which will act as the destination of the team challenge. They all conversed while inside the bus.

"So, you guys huh?" Marvin began.

"Yes. It's us." Terrance affirmed.

Nicholas noticed Nataline with them. "I see you've chosen the side of justice." He nodded towards her in approval. She laughed lightly.

"Justice? Is that why you joined this side, Nick?..Do you mind if I call you that?" She asked him.

"No, by all means." He assured her.

"Thanks. I'm actually here to once again put my strategies to the test." She exclaimed. "I'm sure I can contribute nicely to this challenge."

Terrance snickered as he kept his hands in his pockets. "Yeah because that worked out so well last time." He replied sarcastically.

"You sabotaged us." Nataline said angrily at him. "My plan would have gone perfectly."

"He sabotaged us?" Nicholas chimed in. "Terrance, did you not trust us? Why did you do it?"

"None of your business!" He snapped at the two of them. "Arrogant and such know-it-alls." He added under his breath.

~Confessional~

"I'm not about to sabotage her plan this time simply because it'll put a target on my back." Terrance said begrudgingly. "But maybe when the merge hits. Ha, that's assuming she'll ever make it there."

~End Confessional~

~Confessional~

"It would seem that Terrance truly did abandon us back in the first challenge." Nicholas said with little expression. "Though it is irrelavant now since we are on opposing teams."

~End Confessional~

Meanwhile, Nelly was listening in to the conversation between Cassie and Marvin.

"I wonder how we'll make the defense. I reckon we ain't gonna build fences or walls." Cassie said.

"Perhaps along the line of electrical wires or tanks barricades." Marvin replied with a shrug.

"Tank barricades? Are you freaking kidding me!?" Nelly wore a 'wtf' face. "This is Star Wars not Call of Duty."

"It is? I wouldn't know." Marvin told her. "I don't get exposed to this kind of thing much. The only sci-fi I know is Marvel and DC. Does that count for something?"

"A bit." Nelly gruffly said as she rolled her eyes.

~Confessional~

"Uncultured swines." Nelly sneered.

~End Confessional~

~Confessional~

"What's the deal with her? Is she some kind of techie wizard or somethin'?" Cassie folded her arms. "But she looks like she's all talk to me y'know. Makes me wonder why she voluntereed for this."

~End Confessional~

The assigned city guards made it to the storage area and they all filed out. Waiting for them inside is Chris himself and not a hologram.

"Well if it isn't th host himself." Marvin remarked.

"Yeah I was beginning to wonder if we had a host at all." Nelly scoffed.

'Whatever." Chris grumbled. "I just got sick of using a hologram and wanted to try sending my avatar here." He gestured for them to follow him further in. They all did and soon they are in a large and spacious hanger where there are six groups of infantry waiting for them. Each group were a mix of clone troopers and troopers with speeders, the foot soldiers being the more prominent ones. "Your job is to stop the other teams from getting here to the hanger. One from the Blue Ardonians and one from the Green Drell will work together to stop the Red Sith's smugglers, one Red Sith and the other Blue Ardonian representative will stop the Green Drell, and the last two will stop the Blue Ardonians. Simple, right?" He waved his hand dismissively.

"Wait, do we also get guns?" Nataline inquired.

"Yes. You will also have a standard blaster gun, thus making you six the last line of defense since you'll be stationed here." Chris explained. He gestured to three control panels before him. "Each team's smugglers will take one of three main routes going here. You can use this panel to manipulate traffic and block off certain paths." He then pointed ahead at a pile of materials in the side. "Since you got a few hours before the smugglers move out, I'll give you guys the liberty to be creative and add more to the defense." He grinned at all of them and chuckled. "So, any questions?"

"Are those all the rules?" Nelly asked.

"Yes. Those are all the rules." Chris affirmed.

"There won't be any more added rules as we go on?" Marvin inquired.

"Nope. All the rules I stated are two city guards against one team, be creative about your defense, and that you have a couple of hours to prepare and tell your infantry what to do." Chris confirmed it once again.

Nelly had a knowing sinister smile on her face but Terrance noticed it. Marvin just nodded thoughtfully which made Cassie tilt her head.

~Confessional~

"I'm looking for any holes in the rules." Marvin explained. "And I can say that we are prone to sabotage."

~End Confessional~

~Confessional~

"I'm totally sabotaging them." Nelly smirked knowingly. "Or not. Maybe I'll consider it."

~End Confessional~

~Confessional~

"I must say that I have stopped riots and mapped out possible escape routes for criminals back home when my parents took on cases." Nicholas stated. "I'm confident in my abilities to halt their advance. Criminals must be apprehended!"

~End Confessional~

~Confessional~

"I saw that smile!" Terrance insisted. "I should keep a close eye on her. Should I tell Nataline?…Nah. If she's so smart then she should _totally_ be fine on her own."

~End Confessional~

Nicholas went on to the panel along with Marvin to discuss the battle stations and protocols they will use to halt the Red Sith's advance.

"So how do we do this, Nick?….Mind if I call you that?" Marvin asked the detective.

"Not at all. It is of no concern to me." He waved him off. "More importantly, our defense needs to be impregnable."

"Hmm.."The other boy was deep in thought. "..What about we put some barricades up as they near the inner part of the city? That way, they'll take longer to actually get here."

"Yes, excellent plan. I'll fortify our defenses here. Godspeed." Nicholas nodded once then went over to talk to his clone troopers to fill them in. Marvin kept looking at the panel, thinking of where to place the walls.

Terrance and Cassie went over to the other panel to talk about how to stop the Blue Ardonian's smugglers. They inspected the intersections as well as possible choke points.

"I can create some electrical wires that will send out beams to damage them." Terrance smirked as he suggested that. "Got anything to contribute?"

"I reckon we can use this here traffic to our advantage." Cassie pointed at the various intersections. "I can send some of my troops on speeders to ambush them. Ya fine with it?"

"Sure." Terrance nodded. "It could work. I'll go make the traps." He left the panel and headed to the pile of materials in the side. He stopped and looked over his shoulder. "For a country girl, you're not half bad at this."

Cassie smiled and went over to the clone troopers to inform them.

~Confessional~

"I'm glad to see that he don't look down upon me none." Cassie exclaimed. "I hate it when that happens."

~End Confessional~

Nelly and Nataline took over the last panel that will handle the Green Drell's path and basically argued over what to do as defense. Nelly argued that it's better to plan it in the inner part of the city while Nataline countered that an outer defense would catch them off guard.

"I read a book once that using unexpected methods can be crucial in attaining victory." Nataline argued.

"Yeah assuming you know the place." Nelly scoffed. "But you don't know Coruscant. You don't know anything regarding its ways of defense. Heck, you probably don't know how these clone troopers work."

"They're like regular soldiers." Nataline deadpanned. "They have armor and a gun. It isn't rocket science." She pointed out.

Nelly fumed at this. "Shut up! You don't know anything, rich kid. Just leave the defenses to me." She stormed off to where her clone troopers are gathered.

Nataline stood there with a slightly angry face as she clenched her fists. "That girl.." She breathed. She then proceeded to go talk to her own troops.

~Confessional~

"That girl thinks she's smarter than me!?" Nataline said angrily. "Commoners don't know their place, do they?" She then took deep breaths. "Okay, just calm down Nataline. Anyway, my plan is to send my troops further outward to intercept them. They'll not expect an attack so early so that's the idea."

~End Confessional~

~Confessional~

"That rich girl with the lacy dress is seriously not gonna last long." Nelly sneered. "Not only is she opposing what I say when I know what I'm doing, she thinks she has a better plan! Hah!" She mocked. "My plan is to fortify the inner parts of the city leading here, and put some walls to place them at a dead end. See? Easy yet effective."

~End Confessional~

* * *

Once Chris had made sure everyone's defenses were set up, he used his hologram form to talk to the other contestants that were waiting by their respective outposts.

"Sorry to keep you guys waiting." Chris chuckled.

"Dude it's been five hours!" Arnold whined from his team's outpost.

"W-what happened to our teammates? Y-you didn't do anything b-bad to them right?" Phoebe asked anxiously from her team's outpost.

"Let's get the challenge going." Jane cracked her knuckles as she smiled. "It's challenge time now…right?"

"It's time for your part of the challenge!" Chris exclaimed. Blue lights and sparks surrounded the ground in front of the hologram and then five speeders spawned forth. "Each of you will drive one speeder containing cargo that you will need to deliver to the storage area. The more members you have that will reach safety, the higher your chances of winning. Each speeder has their own shield bar which will protect you from blaster fire and whatnot but once it runs out then you better hope you survive until the end. Any questions?"

"W-we still get to respawn even if we c-crash right?" Phoebe meekly asked.

"No!" Chris laughed. The contestants gasped in horror and confusion. "Nah, I'm kidding. I'll get sued if any of you actually died." He shrugged. "Anyway, get on your vehicles so we can get started."

Everyone got on the speeders and turned it on.

"One more thing." Chris snapped his fingers and blue sparks flickered again and formed a map for each of the riders. "It's a map of where you are and where you need to go is marked by a red dot. Good luck."

 **(Red Sith)**

Jane took off first with Tatiana trailing behind her. "Woohoo! We're smugglers! Yeah!" The gamer girl cheered. The former simply sighed in annoyance.

"Look just keep it down, Tatiana." Jane said through gritted teeth. "I don't wanna lose this challenge. And telling the bystanders what we're doing will gather attention."

"Awww." Tatiana pouted. But seeing Jane's glare at her made her salute immediately. "I mean, yes maam!" This, however, made her swerve to the side and to another path.

"Tatiana!..Ugh.." Jane scowled as she continued on the main road.

~Confessional~

"Look, Tatiana probably means well." Jane said with a little annoyance evident in her voice. "But if she doesn't focus then she could get eliminated. I will not be held back..even if it is her."

~End Confessional~

~Confessional~

"Jane sure knows what she's doing." Tatiana smiled. "She IS the leader of this party. She's strong and smart so she's gotta be!"

~End Confessional~

Meanwhile, Betty, Felix, and Desmond brought up the rear and saw Tatiana go to another path.

"Maybe that's a good idea." Desmond noted. "Felix and I will go left, Betty will go right and follow Tatiana."

"Splitting up so we won't get caught…."Betty wondered out loud. "I like it!" She swerved to the right where Tatiana had disappeared to.

"Alright Felix, it's you and me now." Desmond stated firmly. "We got this so just follow my lead."

"Um, I'm not good at high speed chases." Felix said a bit nervously. "But you're the boss."

"Of course." Desmond smiled.

~Confessional~

"I need Felix to align himself with me so that I can be safe until merge. He's not all that strong so he should be easy to boss around." Desmond smirked. "But I need more people to make this alliance grow."

~End Confessional~

Jane rode alone in the main road, weaving through other vehicles smoothly. She kept an eye out for the clone troopers or for any other trap but to no avail.

"Weird. Still no resistance." She kept going, narrowly avoiding traffic.

Meanwhile, Felix and Desmond were nearing the storage area. They rounded a corner but found a dead end, a steel high wall blocking them. They U-turned but saw that some clone troopers were behind them

"Damn." Desmond muttered.

"We're screwed." Felix sighed.

 **(Blue Ardonians)**

The team currently moved in unison, not going too far from each other. Jude and Arnold were in the lead and constantly took a few turns, prompting the team to follow.

"Are you sure we're going the right way?" Delilah called from behind them.

"Of course, dudette." Arnold stated confidently. "Jude here told me to go here. He read the map and everything." Just then, they all immediately stopped as they hit a dead end ahead.

"Riiight…" Sarah trailed off. "Sure he did."

Jude clicked his tongue and turned back. "It's a big city okay?"

~Confessional~

"Actually, I'm not so big on directions." Jude admitted. "But don't tell them that. I gotta be as good as Harvey and Nicholas out here. Gotta prove myself."

~End Confessional~

Harvey pointed at an intersection ahead. Traffic is a bit heavy. "We should take a turn. Isn't there a detour somewhere here?" He turned to Jude.

The archer thought long and hard and then snapped his fingers. "That way." He pointed at a narrow path to the side. "We'll come out at another intersection. Hopefully there's less traffic there." They headed towards that path.

They then heard movement behind them and saw that a few clone troopers on speeders came out from the intersection and are now giving chase to them into the narrow path while opening fire.

"Ah!" Delilah screamed. She and Harvey were the ones bringing the rear so both of them took the majority of the blaster hits. Their shield activated and the bar was being depleted with every hit they take.

"Hurry!" Harvey urged his team. The ones in front sped up until they reached the end of the narrow path and into the intersection. Harvey was close behind them. The end of the path suddenly created sparks of electricity that criscrossed just as Arnold, Jude, and Sarah got past. Harvey got hit by the electrical beams and his shield bar was immediately reduced to half. "Not good." He exclaimed.

Delilah soon passed that same electrical barrier, her shield not being enough to sustain the damage. "Gah!" Her speeder went out of control and crashed down in the intersection, her avatar flickering away.

"We lost Delilah! Mayday! Mayday!" Arnold yelled out.

"Don't they only scream those in helicopters?" Jude asked quizzically.

"Well that's one down." Sarah remarked. "Didn't expect that."

~Confessional~

"Whoever planned that must be a genius!" Harvey exclaimed. "I almost got wrecked myself."

~End Confessional~

~Confessional~

"I'm such a genius." Terrance smirked.

~End Confessional~

~Confessional~

"This is the second time I got out early in a challenge." Delilah frowned. "This does not look good for me."

~End Confessional~

 **(Green Drell)**

Shane went on ahead of his teammates, not bothering to communicate with them. He turned on many corners and soon the others were not able to catch up.

"Shane! Come back!" Valerie called after him.

"It's no use. He won't cooperate." Cyrus grunted as he pulled up beside her. "We can vote him off when the time comes."

"Yeah. Yeah, of course." Valerie stated uneasily. Ivy pulled up beside her and put a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"It will be fine. If we stick together, we'll be alright." Ivy smiled at her. Valerie blushed a little and smiled back.

"Let's go. Can't waste time." Cyrus instructed as he revved up the engine and kept moving, Phoebe close behind him.

"U-um, excuse me? C-Cyrus?" She tried to get his attention, but to no avail. The boy was simply too focused to hear her. "N-nevermind then." She hung her head as she followed him, the others not so far behind her.

~Confessional~

"I really t-think Cyrus is cool." Phoebe sighed with a cute smile. "I wish I just h-had the guts to talk to him properly." She then frowned.

~End Confessional~

They rounded a corner and came face to face with a few clone troopers, their blasters drawn.

"There they are! Fire!" One of them said. They all opened fire and Cyrus and Phoebe took a few hits.

"Eeek!" The doll-faced girl shrieked and immediately ducked into a narrow alleyway.

"Phoebe!" Cyrus followed her and the rest were supposed to follow suit but more clone troopers on speeders blocked their path.

"Darn it." Valerie cursed under her breath.

"To the intersection." Ivy instructed. Valerie nodded and followed her as they made a turn and blended in with the other vehicles but not before taking some damage as well.

~Confessional~

"Well then, that happened." Ivy frowned.

~End Confessional~

~Confessional~

"Phoebe just had to react like that and blindly run away, now did she?" Valerie said irritably. "Honestly I spared her because she was cute but now I'm starting to wonder whether we should have kept Richard instead. At least he doesn't openly panic and make rash decisions like that." She pointed out.

~End Confessional~

 **(Red Sith)**

Betty managed to catch up to Tatiana and the two drove side by side in another path. They have yet to encounter any clone troopers so they're taking it easy a bit.

"So…if we do lose, how do you think the votes will go?" Betty asked her friend. She was holding her phone in one hand, with the memo app opened with their teammates' names on it as well as some notes.

"Why would you think about that!?" Tatiana gasped. "Have you no faith in our splendid party?"

"Well of course I believe in us." Betty lightly laughed, though it sounded a bit forced. "But elimination is inevitable right? I got some friends who love Total Drama and they totes told me that elimination can never be avoided."

"But I'd rather focus on winning every challenge!" Tatiana pouted. "Keep your spirits up, young squire. The world is a vast and promising place. We must seize its treasures and obtain greatness!" She dramatically said while doing hand gestures.

Betty giggled. "Yeah…you're probably right." She looked at the memo one last time before turning her phone off and pocketing it. It was then that a large number of clone troopers came to sight from two sides.

"Halt!" One of them said, raising his blaster.

"Oh no! They found us! We must flee at once if we are to fight another day." Tatiana exclaimed fearfully yet dramatically as she sped up forward, Betty following close behind. Due to the immense number of clone troopers firing at them, their shield bars dropped significantly.

~Confessional~

Betty has a hand to her chest. "That was totes wild." She panted. "An experience to remember." She grabbed her phone and took a selfie.

~End Confessional~

Both girls saw the storage hanger up ahead. "We did it!" They exclaimed in unison.

However, they immediately stopped their vehicles when they saw Marvin standing there, his blaster at the ready and he is accompanied by two clone troopers. "Hello girls." He greeted.

"This is it Betty." Tatiana started. "The moment of truth. The hour of reckoning. The time long awaited. The clash between hope and despair. The-" She was interrupted when the clone troopers and Marvin opened fire, completely shattering her shield. "Go go go!" She urged.

Betty sped up and crushed one clone trooper before it took aim at her. "Aaah!" She screamed while riding away. Tatiana tried to follow suit but got shot down.

"Argh. Ugh…"She fell from her speeder and Marvin loomed over her.

"You lose." He said. He then held down his hand which Tatiana gladly accepted. "But there's no need to shoot you." He shrugged.

"Thankies!" Tatiana exclaimed. "Such a worthy rival." She added.

Marvin chuckled. "Maybe you shouldn't have said all that earlier. Just a tip."

"But I want this encounter to be as colorful and memorable as possible." Tatiana pouted. "It's too dull if I didn't include it."

Marvin thought about it for a while then eventually nodded. "Indeed."

Betty managed to make it inside the storage area with her speeder where Chris himself was waiting for her.

"Congratulations, Betty. You were the first one here for your team. And the first smuggler here in general. Guess you took a shortcut huh?" Chris chuckled.

"Whew." Betty sighed in relief then flopped down on the floor. "At least I made it. I feel bad for Tatiana though."

"Yeah, she's not gonna win you guys any points." Chris shook his head. "But at least now you can take a break." He gestured at the large blue hologram screen behind him. "And you get to watch everyone else fail!" He added excitedly.

~Confessional~

"It's good that I made it. Now my team will be happy." Betty smiles. "#Smuggle2k17"

~End Confessional~

 **(Blue Ardonians)**

Everyone in the team is currently in the main road, stuck in traffic.

"Aw damn it. Why now?" Sarah complained.

Jude was currently using the map and the rest were on the look out for clone troopers. "We can ride the traffic all the way to the storage hanger or we can ditch this and take another shortcut." He said to his team.

"Do you wanna risk a segway, dude?" Arnold said nervously. "Those electric traps ain't a joke."

Harvey checked his shield bar. "I feel you, bro." He said sadly. "We blend in nicely here anyway. We should be fine yo."

Sarah sighed. "I guess so." They passed by alleyways and other narrow paths. "Did the men in white give up so soon?"

As if on cue, several clone troopers appeared out from the alleyways they just passed by. They pooled in from all sides, completely surrounding them. Cassie and Terrance stood amongst them from either side, with their blasters in hand.

"Well looks like we got ourselves a big one eh?" Cassie smirked as she tipped her hat forward.

Terrance grinned. "I didn't think it would be THIS easy." He aimed at Harvey while Cassie aimed at Jude.

"Uh, guys?" Arnold looked around in distress. "Now what?"

Sarah was closest to a nearby narrow path. It was littered with a few wooden crates and boxes. Harvey saw this and whispered to her. "You can still make it out alive. We'll try to follow behind you." She nodded in response.

"Hey scrawny kid, get ready to get owned!" Arnold suddenly said, making a hard turn and heading straight for the techie boy. Terrance wasn't able to react in time and got hit, sending him crashing to a nearby wall. This prompted the clone troopers under his command to open fire on the soccer player, bombarding him with blaster shots and completely destroying his shield as well as making the speeder explode. Arnold's avatar disappeared with the blast.

"Now!" Harvey exclaimed. Sarah wasted no time and immediately making a break to her left where the narrow path was, knocking over the crates which further made it harder for the clone troopers to give chase.

"Wait for me." Jude called as he followed suit, getting himself pelted by blaster shots in the process which destroyed his shield but not the speeder itself. "Whoa. Close one." He remarked.

~Confessional~

"I don't want Lucy to think I'm a loser. I got us a win last challenge, and I'll get us a win in this one." Jude said confidently.

~End Confessional~

Harvey was there alone. He once again checked his shield bar which is already really low. "Well..too late for me now." He simply got off his vehicle with his hands high in the air.

"You're under arrest pardner." Cassie mockingly said as she approached him. Harvey smirked back.

"We're not out of this yet. They'll both make it." Harvey stated.

"Guess we'll wait n' see." Cassie tipped her hat forward.

~Confessional~

"I like to say I did good in this challenge…but I didn't." Harvey said sadly.

~End Confessional~

~Confessional~

"Ugh…My back." Terrance groaned.

~End Confessional~

 **(Green Drell)**

Phoebe and Cyrus were currently keeping it stealthy, moving through alleyways and avoiding the intersections as much as possible.

"A-are you sure about this plan?" Phoebe meekly asked the emo. Cyrus grunted and nodded once.

"Yeah. So far we haven't encountered any other troopers since the last one so I'd say they're spread thin. But be alert just in case." Cyrus told her.

"O-okay!" She agreed.

~Confessional~

"He's so s-smart." Phoebe said gleefully while sighing.

~End Confessional~

They exited the path only to be confronted by a few clone troopers plus Nataline, who stood with them. "This is as far as you go." She stated firmly.

Cyrus sneered. "Right…Just our luck."He revved up the engine and glared at Nataline, who glared back in response as she held up her blaster rifle.

"Eeek. W-what do we do now, Cyrus?" Phoebe looked anxious. She darted her eyes around to see the clone troopers all raise their weapons at them.

"We go forward. Trample her." Cyrus gritted his teeth as he charged straight at her, primarily aiming for the path behind her.

"Fire!" Nataline ordered. Her troops fired at Cyrus, whose shield was shattered completely. Nataline aimed her gun right at the emo boy and fired, knocking him out of his speeder and making his avatar disappear. The aristocrat sidestepped to dodge the unmanned vehicle but soon got on it when it stopped.

"Oh no! This i-is not g-good!" Phoebe said fearfully as she sped the other way.

"You can't run from me." Nataline declared as she gave chase using Cyrus' speeder, firing at the girl as she went. Phoebe took some damage but made a sharp turn and safe when traffic poured in. "Damn it." Nataline cursed in anger.

~Confessional~

"I can't trust Nelly so I gotta double my efforts here." Nataline said, determination present in her eyes.

~End Confessional~

Ivy and Valerie managed to make it to the inner parts of the city and are now in the main path. The traffic was low so they cruised on by easily.

"Do you think the others made it out?" Valerie asked her friend, who seemed to be in a daze. "Ivy?" She saw that Ivy was about to hit another vehicle. "Ivy!" She yelled.

"What?" Ivy looked back at the road and abruptly stopped the speeder, barely missing the vehicle in front of her. "That was close." She remarked.

"What's with you? You always space out like that." Valerie pointed out. "Focus on the challenge. You were the one who got us out of that mess earlier."

"...Right." Was all Ivy said in response. Just then, steel walls rose up from many sides, blocking off pathways and leaving only the main road open. Clone troopers were seen high atop the walls, their blasters aimed downwards.

"We're trapped." Valerie said softly. "The only way is forward now."

Ivy nodded and they both sped up, trying to weave through the traffic. Blasters shots rained down upon them, slowly reducing their shield bar. Nelly laughed as she came up from behind them, a few clone troopers on speeders under her command with her.

"Hey girls." Nelly said in a sing song voice. "Ready to lose?" She laughed as she ordered her troopers to fire. They did, and Valerie's shield bar was emptied and gone.

"No!" She said in shock. Ivy then went behind her to cover her from any more bullet fire.

"I got your back. Keep going." Ivy stated, surprisingly calm. Valerie was still confused but went on ahead.

"She left you. How sad." Nelly remarked unsympathetically.

"That's good." Ivy said as she abruptly stopped her speeder.

"What?" Nelly's eyes were in shock as her speeder collided with Ivy's, causing both to crash into each other and making the clone troopers stop as well. The traffic increased as the speeders lay there, preventing any further chase.

"Ah…How the sky is nice." Ivy remarked as she lay on her back, her gaze upwards. Nelly simply groaned beside her.

~Confessional~

"I don't get Ivy at all." Valerie pondered. "At one point she's in a helpless daze, and then at another she's a good team player. Weird. But sexy." She winked at the camera.

~End Confessional~

 **(Red Sith)**

Felix and Desmond had managed to get past the clone troopers but lost a lot of their shield bar. They entered the inner parts of the city and caught a glimpse of Jane blitzing past them.

"Was that Jane just now?" Felix scratched his head.

"I think so." Desmond responded. They both got out of the alleyway and peeked to the side when they saw Nicholas and his clone troopers on speeders chasing down Jane. "Oh damn. We walked right into that one."

"Over there, sir!" The clone trooper pointed at Desmond and Felix who began to go to where Jane went. "Are they smugglers too?"

"Yes. Apprehend them all." Nicholas said bluntly and emotionless. "Leave no smuggler alive."

"Yes, sir!" They said in unison. They opened fire on the Red Sith smugglers, but missed most of their shots.

"Jane! Wait for us!" Felix called out to her. Jane looked over her shoulder to see Felix and Desmond behind her.

"You two. Where did you come from? Where are the others?" Jane asked. They rounded a corner and sped up more, nearing the storage hanger.

"We split up because we thought it was your plan." Desmond stated. Jane simply tilted her head in confusion.

"What? I didn't order anything like that." She countered.

"But we saw Tatiana go the other way-" Blaster shots interrupted Felix as he realized that his shield was down. "Uh oh." He was nervous now.

"Hurry and get in front of us." Jane commanded. Felix nodded and did as he was told. They were close now. Nicholas came up behind them, a determined and cold look in his eyes.

"Surrender in the name of the law." He said coldly.

"Wow, someone's having fun." Felix remarked dryly.

"Keep going. Just a little more." Desmond gritted his teeth as he sped up. Jane and Felix did the same. Nicholas fired his blaster, damaging Desmond's shield and soon bringing it down as well. "Come…on." He said to himself.

The doors of the hanger opened and all three were able to get inside before Nicholas was able to shoot down at least one of them. Chris and Betty were there to greet them.

"Hey guys! You made it!" Betty cheered. She took out her phone and snapped a group picture despite the other three all disheveled. Nicholas came inside not long after.

"No. I failed." He muttered to himself. "I let the smugglers live."

"Hey dude, it's all just a challenge."Chris assured him. "There wasn't anything illegal in there."

"There wasn't?" Nicholas eyed Chris suspiciously.

The host went to one speeder and opened the compartment revealing cans of soda. "See? Are you telling me that soda is illegal now?" He smirked.

Nicholas' mouth was hanging. "Then I wrongfully accused them of smuggling? I failed as a detective and a protector of the law." He clenched his fist. Desmond approached him and patted his shoulder.

"Hey. This isn't your planet or city, remember?" He chuckled.

"Logically, yes. But it still hurts." Nicholas simply stated evenly as he went away to go over the panel.

Jane pumped her fist in the air. "Yes! We did it. Did we win yet?" She asked excitedly to the host, who nodded. "YES!"

"The Red Sith lost the least members and therefore instantly placed at first." The host nodded. "All that's left now is to see who will be put into the pits of elimination tonight." He chuckled.

 **(Green Drell)**

"Eeek!" Phoebe screamed as she kept turning and weaving through the traffic trying to get Nataline off her trail. The latter seems to be way behind her though but that didn't stop Phoebe from panicking. "S-someone help!"

No help came but rather a few clone troopers pooled in at the intersection where she is.

"There! The smuggler!" One of them said as they all opened fire on her.

"Nooo!" She saw her shield meter deplete completely as she desperately got out of the main path and into a narrower path. She could see the storage hanger up ahead. "I can m-make it." She breathed a sigh of relief.

It was short-lived, however, when a well aimed shot threw her off balance and sent her off of her speeder. "At last." Nataline's voice came up from behind her as Phoebe's avatar slowly flickered out.

~Confessional~

"F-fudge. I screwed up. N-now Cyrus will never notice me." Phoebe said sadly. "I h-hope we don't lose. I d-don't wanna go home."

~End Confessional~

The people inside the hanger all watched the large screen divided into three sections. One showed Sarah and Jude nearing the hanger, the other showed Shane also nearing the hanger while dodging the eyes of the clone troopers and the last showed Valerie taking the main path heading straight for the hanger.

"It could be anyone's game." Jane noted.

"Hey Chris, what happens when both of them show up? It's gonna be a tie." Felix pointed out to the host.

"Oh yeah. Never thought of that." Chris realized.

Chris' hologram appeared in a miniature form in front of the remaining smugglers' speeders. "Attention everyone. Since there are only two smugglers left for both the Blue Ardonians and Green Drell, in case both or at least one of you survive the second place will go who gets here first. That is all. Hope you all crash." He chuckled as the hologram flickered out.

"Well that's convenient." Jude remarked to Sarah. "Let's go fast."

Sarah giggled. "I like it fast." She grinned pervertedly before clearing her throat. "I mean, let's go."

They both sped up. However, as they neared the end of another path, electrical wires activated and created another crisscross barrier.

"Wha-?" Jude was interrupted when they both passed by it and his speeder exploded, thus eliminating him from the challenge while Sarah's shield completely depleted.

"Guess it's up to me." Sarah stated nervously as she sped up.

~Confessional~

"I'm not gonna lose this. Mark my words!" Sarah said with determination.

~End Confessional~

Meanwhile, Shane came up the main road and saw Valerie there too.

"Shane! There you are." The flirt exclaimed. "Where have you been? We're the last ones left." She pointed out.

"I know." He bluntly replied. "I didn't take any damage so I'll be fine."

"Well my shield is gone." Valerie frowned.

"That's just too bad. Now I guess that's it for your game." Nataline also came up to the main road and aimed her gun at Valerie.

"Tsk." Shane grunted as he swerved to block Nataline's shot, taking the few hits instead. His shield depleted but not by much.

"You can't protect her from me." Nataline said darkly. "Damn you, just get out of my way."

"Hmph. What's a sheltered rich girl gonna do about it?" Shane retorted. "Valerie, speed up. I'll delay her here." He instructed the flirt. She nodded and sped up, leaving Shane to deal with Nataline alone.

"You think you can stop me?" Nataline asked him.

"I don't think. I know." He drove closer to her and tried to pry the gun out of her hands. She retaliated and they were now in a tug of war, dangerously coming close to crashing.

"Just…let go.." Nataline huffed as she slammed her speeder into Shane. He slammed back.

"Losing your cool? I guess you should have stayed at home." He said bluntly. "You're not meant for the outside world. Stay indoors like you were born to do." He added harshly.

"Shut up! You know nothing!" She yelled as she slammed harder into his speeder, making his shield bar deplete significantly but Nataline's speeder had started to spark.

"Your vehicle's gonna explode." Shane pointed out. "If we both fall, it will be an easy victory for us."

"Assuming Valerie makes it before the Blue Ardonians." Nataline grinned darkly as she slammed into his vehicle one last time, making her own speeder explode and completely shattering Shane's shield as well as destroying its engine.

They both jumped out of their speeders as it crashed into the other vehicles, sending them sprawling to the ground.

~Confessional~

Nataline's clothes are slightly burned and ripped. "That was worth it. But I admit that I did kind of lost it earlier."

~End Confessional~

~Confessional~

Shane's clothes was also ripped and burnt. "Crazy bitch." He muttered.

~End Confessional~

Chris stood in between the two entrances of the hanger. Everyone else who were inside waited expectantly.

"Ten bucks says the hot rocker girl will make it." Felix smirked to Desmond.

"No way. Valerie is cuter, she should win." The latter smirked back.

They saw both Sarah and Valerie approaching their respective entrances, both going at high speed.

"There it is folks. Who will come in second place? Who will doom their team to elimination?" Chris said to the camera while flashing a smile.

Sarah and Valerie neared the hanger. They both went at max speed yet one of them made it inside first…

.

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…"Valerie! You earned your team second place!" Chris exclaimed.

"Yes!" The girl cheered. Sarah pulled up as well and groaned.

"Aw." She frowned.

"Blue Ardonians, I will see you at elimination tonight." Chris said.

Nicholas furrowed his brow and Sarah clicked her tongue.

* * *

 **(Blue Ardonians)**

After Chris reverted the scenery back to the forest, he informed them that elimination will start in 15 minutes. The team sat at their outpost, each not wanting to start a conversation.

"So…" Jude tried to start. "Voting time…huh?"

Nicholas looked away, Nelly scoffed, Delilah looked down but gulped hard, Lucy fidgeted with a tear in her eye, and the rest just had no comment or reaction.

"This sucks, guys." Arnold finally said. "I like you all." Sarah put her arms around him in a half hug to try and comfort the soccer player.

"I need some fresh air." Nelly huffed as she stood up and left, going outside into the river bed. Nicholas, Lucy, and Jude also went out but went opposite of where Nelly went.

"Look, we should team up and make an alliance." Jude stated to the two of them. "You guys are great and I wanna trust you both to be in this with me."

"Who are we even voting for?" Lucy frowned.

"I recommend we vote off Delilah. I heard she was the first one out. This has happened twice in a row." Nicholas stated matter-of-factly.

"But she's nice." Lucy was teary-eyed.

"Lucy…" Jude scratched the back of his head. "I don't wanna say this either but she's a weak link. She has to go."

"Well I…" Lucy looked from Nicholas to Jude who were both looking serious about the vote. She could only sigh. "Fine. Delilah it is. It's for the team anyway."

"I'm glad you can see this in a logical way." Nicholas nodded but didn't smile. He went close to the river bed and just stared at the water.

~Confessional~

"I must play logically. I must think straight." Nicholas chanted. "Delilah is the weakest link here. I know that. And so…"

~End Confessional~

~Confessional~

Lucy is twirling a strand of hair in her finger. "Nicholas plays too logically and Jude is too scared to vote but agreed with the plan." She smiled sinisterly. "Well, looks like Delilah is too bland to stay. Too pathetic as well. Hehehe."

~End Confessional~

Arnold, Sarah, Delilah, and Harvey remained inside the outpost.

"So how do we vote?" Harvey asked uneasily.

"We vote for Nelly." Sarah stated firmly. "She keeps berating us and it's annoying." She rolled her eyes.

"True. Morale would definitely increase with her gone." Arnold considered it. "Should we tell the others?"

"Nah. I'm sure they can see it that way too." Harvey shrugged.

"Cool. I'm gonna go check out the river." Sarah said as she walked out.

~Confessional~

"I just wanna chill out here, man." Harvey said. "Voting people out is so stressing and heavy yo."

~End Confessional~

~Confessional~

"Nelly is such a pain in the ass." Sarah scoffed. "Time to say goodbye."

~End Confessional~

Lucy silently approached Sarah outside. She came up behind the rocker girl and laughed lowly.

"Well well well, if it isn't our resident guitarist." Lucy said, her voice a little different than usual.

"Lucy?" Sarah turned to see her. The girl's hair is no longer held back by a headband and is flowing freely and her right eye is scarlet red in color. Lucy gazed at other girl with a knowing smirk but with dark intent.

"Let's talk strategy shall we?"

* * *

 **(Elimination Ceremony)**

The Blue Ardonians sat at the center of the area, with the other teams surrounding them. Chris stood with containers of space food before him.

"Blue Ardonians, it's good to see you here." Chris smirked. "After a first place victory last challenge, I expected better from you all. But I guess everyone has their days." The team members grunted or rolled their eyes in response. "Anyway as you already know, if you receive a space food container you are safe. Nicholas."

"My thanks." Nicholas said as he caught the space food.

"Sarah."

"Woohoo!" Sarah cheered as she got her food.

"Arnold."

"Yes." The soccer boy grin as he got his.

"Jude."

The asian boy got his food but said nothing.

"Lucy."

"Thank you." Lucy sighed in relief as she received her space food.

"Harvey."

"Nice yo." He smiled as he caught the food.

This left Nelly and Delilah in the bottom two. Nelly sneered and glared at the other girl, who glared back at her trying to look brave.

"You should have just eliminated yourself. It's probably only your vote that went to me." Delilah said unconvincingly.

"Dream on." Nelly scoffed.

"The final container goes to..." Chris paused for effect.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

..."Nelly!" Chris exclaimed as he tossed Nelly the final space food container. The nerd smugly grabbed it.

"Ha! You lose!" She bragged.

"What?" Delilah stared in shock. She looked towards all her teammates. Harvey and Arnold all looked confused but Sarah didn't make eye contact.

"Why? I don't get it." Arnold said. "Nelly was supposed to go."

"Guess people like me more." Nelly boasted. Lucy's eye turned red for a moment but reverted back immediately, which no one saw.

"Delilah, you have finished the game in 23rd place." Chris said. A large beam of light shone down on Delilah, engulfing her form and completely removing her from the virtual world. "Everyone else, you may head to bed now." Everyone filed out and headed back to their own outposts.

 **~Votes~**

 **Arnold:** Nelly, time for nerds to learn their place. Which is 23rd place by the way.

 **Nelly:** Nicholas and Jude told me they'd give me a chance and to vote for Delilah. No choice now, so I vote for her.

 **Jude:** Sorry Delilah, but you held us back twice now.

 **Harvey:** Nelly has to go. She isn't making this a chill place to hang out yo.

 **Nicholas:** Delilah, you are useless in challenges and therefore cannot contribute much to this team. Goodbye.

 **Delilah:** Bye Nelly, it was nice kicking you off.

 **Lucy:** Hehehe, poor poor Delilah. But this is what happens when you're too weak to compete.

 **Sarah:** I don't know what's gotten into Lucy or what she has planned but if she says that she'll owe me if Ijust vote for Delilah then...then I guess I vote for her. Sorry guys. Lucy was just so...ugh.

 **~Eliminated~**

 **(24th place) Richard - The Maestro**

 **(23rd place) Delilah - The Serpent**

* * *

Chris was back at the Drama Dome with his flashing smile. "Looks like that's the end of the road for Delilah. With her gone, have the Blue Ardonians eliminated their dead weight completely? What is up with Lucy? Will Arnold and Harvey find out why Sarah flipped on them? And how about the Red Sith? Will they get complacent now that they won first place? How will Terrance's and Nataline's rivalry end? Which side will Felix follow? And for the Green Drell, will Phoebe prove herself worthy to her team? And will Shane ever trust and work together with his team? Find out next time on Total...Drama...Sci-Fi Showdown!"

* * *

 **Delilah was a character that was originally meant to stay a bit longer. As you can see, her stereotype was more or less never utilized. That was because she was originally supposed to become a passive villain and manipulator but I decided to change that. So I had to eliminate her to make way for the others with a bigger plot ahead of them. XBloodLegendX**


	5. Chapter 5: Facility Heist

"Last time on Total Drama Sci-Fi Showdown..." Chris started as he smiled. "The three teams smuggled soda into the city within Coruscant. Some chose to play criminal while others chose the side of justice." Behind him, the blue hologram showed Galactic City in Coruscant where the teams did their challenge.

"The Red Sith split up when Desmond thought it was a plan." Chris chuckled. "But the upside was that it worked. Good for them."

The hologram showed Sarah and Valerie nearing the entrance of the storage hanger. "But the Blue Ardonians and Green Drell were not so lucky. The former were quickly overwhelmed by Terrance's electric traps and Cassie traffic control while the latter just so happened to feel Nataline's wrath and Nelly's smarts on the city."

The hologram changed to the elimination ceremony in the scene where Delilah was consumed by the light. "Tonight, Delilah took the fall instead of Nelly, earning confusion from Arnold and Harvey but supposedly giving power to Lucy, who seemed to show a new side of herself."

Chris spread out his arms. "Which team will win this challenge next? What will become of Desmond's alliance? Will Jane successfully get Terrance to join her side? Can Sarah face her friends after she went against their vote? How will Jude control his alliance, knowing that his crush is her own mastermind? Will Cassie make sure her team is in top condition for the next challenge? And will Phoebe finally bring home a win for her team? Find out now on Total...Drama..Sci-Fi Showdown!" He finished with a big smile.

* * *

 **(Green Drell)**

 **~Confessional~**

 **Cassie:** I don't know why my team lost so many people in that last challenge y'all. It ain't right. *She tipped her hat backwards* I outta do somethin' about it.

 **Phoebe:** I-it was a good thing Valerie w-won us the challenge last time. I don't k-know if I'll be the one going h-home if we lose again. So I gotta d-do my best and try even harder.

 **~End Confessional~**

Cassie went outside to see Phoebe outside, trying to jump up to a tree. The girl was too short, however, to reach the large branch above her. "Howdy, Phoebe." Cassie greeted.

"H-huh!?" Phoebe immediately whipped her head back to see Cassie there. "Y-yes?"

"What are ya doin'?" Cassie tilted her head. "There's no fruit in that tree so why are ya reachin' for the branch?"

"I'm t-trying to do pull-ups." Phoebe said embarrassingly. "B-but I can't reach the b-branch." She stuttered as she looked away.

Cassie laughed lightly and went closer to her. "Are ya trying to get yourself ready for the next challenge?"

"W-well I.."Phoebe trailed off.

"It's mighty good of ya, ya know?" Cassie easily jumped up and clutched on to the branch Phoebe was trying to reach. She did three pulls ups before letting herself drop down. "Ya gotta be in at yer best to keep up with the rest."

"Y-yes." Phoebe agreed. "I don't wanna b-be a hindrance to the team or to..."She trailed off again.

"Hmm? Ya sayin' something?" Cassie asked curiously.

"N-no no. Don't mind me. Ehehehe..." Phoebe played with her hair meekly. "I s-should probably run a lap n-near here."

"Yeah, a great idea that one." Cassie agreed. "Let's go."

 **~Confessional~**

 **Phoebe:** That w-was close...I almost told her about Cyrus. *she blushes*

 **~End Confessional~**

Shane, Marvin, and Cyrus were back in the boys' bedroom hanging out.

"So guys..." Marvin started. "..I was thinking about something."

"You always are." Cyrus remarked. Shane smirked.

"No I meant about an alliance between us guys." Marvin clarified. "Think about it, we may have gotten lucky with taking out Richard but future votes might start getting personal."

"It's doesn't have to be. We vote out Phoebe if we lose." Shane bluntly stated. "We'll have nothing to lose."

Marvin furrowed his brow but he immediately caught himself. "Well it's an option..."

"No it's common sense." Shane grunted. "She's useless to us. She didn't do much in the past two challenges."

"You died first in the first challenge you know." Cyrus pointed out. "And Phoebe lasted long in the second one."

"Shut up. That was a fluke." Shane gritted his teeth and glared at the emo boy. "...And I would have secured a win for us i that bitchy rich girl didn't get in my way."

"See, Marvin?" Cyrus stood up and headed for the bedroom door. "Why should align with someone who can't face his own failures?" He spat as he glared at Shane before going out and closing the door behind him.

"Well...that just happened." Marvin sighed and shook his head. Shane simply sneered and headed for the bathroom.

 **~Confessional~**

 **Marvin:** That could have gone better. *sighs* I've been thinking about this game and I realized that you need allies to ensure your safety. What I didn't think of is how the others would react...or rather how they feel about each other.

 **Shane:** Cyrus is being a douche. Marvin is being too soft. Pathetic.

 **~End Confessional~**

Cyrus went to the living room to see Valerie there, still in her nightgown and with a frown. The flirt saw him and immediately beamed.

"Heya~" She flirted and winked.

"Drop it. I'm not interested." Cyrus said bluntly. "I keep saying that I'm here for inspiration." He sat across from her.

"And like I keep saying, I can help with that." She giggled flirtatiously. "Did I tell you that I just LOVE emo boys?"

"You don't." Cyrus deadpanned. "Nobody does. Nobody is supposed to."

"Why not?" She giggled again.

"We don't follow the mainstream. We keep to ourselves and hang out strictly with those of our kind." When he saw that Valerie raised her eyebrow, he added with a grunt. "And no, I'm not just trying to be an edgy teen here."

"Hehe~ If you say so." Valerie stood up and walked back to the girls' bedroom. "Just remember, sometimes having a few allies wouldn't hurt." She added.

 **~Confessional~**

 **Valerie:** I just need Cyrus to loosen up and then ask for his vote later on. It doesn't look like anyone else is asking him for his vote yet.

 **Cyrus:** So I've been getting attention lately. When will people learn to leave me alone? I need time to think of my story.

 **Ivy:** I woke up late again. I hope my teammates haven't forgotten about me. *frowns*

 **~End Confessional~**

* * *

 **(Blue Ardonians)**

Sarah woke up in the girls' bedroom. She looked to her right and saw Lucy asleep. She then sighed to herself.

 **~Confessional~**

 **Sarah:** I voted for Delilah because Lucy was being persuasive about it. She said something about the 'long run' and 'future challenges' and stuff like that. I got so confused and before I knew it I wrote down Delilah's name. God, I hope Arnold and Harvey forgive me.

 **Lucy:** I like to think that Delilah is now in a good resort area that they usually set up for those eliminated. *her right eye flashes red for a brief moment*

 **~End Confessional~**

The rocker girl exited the bedroom and saw Arnold and Harvey chatting in the living room.

"Morning, Sarah." Harvey greeted.

"Oh uh, morning." Sarah said uneasily.

Arnold looks at the empty seat beside him. "Damn, sucks that Delilah got voted out instead of Nelly. What were the others thinking?" Sarah looked away for a moment.

"Actually I'm more surprised how the vote went that way. We make up half the team so the best that could happen is a tie." Harvey pointed out. Sarah was now sweating bullets and gulped hard.

"I mean I'm not good with numbers, but yeah. You're totally right about that." Arnold realized.

"ALRIGHT! I admit it..." Sarah said in a defeated voice. "I changed my vote to Delilah at the last minute."

"What!?" Arnold gasped in shock. "But why? We had a game plan!"

"I know and I'm sorry!" Sarah exclaimed.

"But what made you do that?" Harvey asked her. Sarah just shook her head.

"I thought about it and realized that um..that Delilah really was useless in challenges. I realized that myself..yeah." She said unconvincingly. Though Arnold and Harvey just nodded in understanding, oblivious of the lie.

"I mean that's true." Arnold admitted.

"Yeah. It's a good point." Harvey conceded.

"Phew." Sarah said under her breath to which they couldn't hear her.

 **~Confessional~**

 **Sarah:** Lucy also said that it's important that nobody knows of what we talked about. I don't know but she was really intimidating about it.

 **Arnold:** Sarah is pretty smart, watching out for the whole team by dropping a weak link. Sure we have to deal with Nelly's blabbering again, but I'll trust Sarah since she looks like she knows what she's doing.

 **~End Confessional~**

Outside, Jude, Nicholas, and Nelly were by the river bed.

"So we won last night." Jude said. "Delilah is eliminated so hopefully we'll win more challenges. I'm ready to carry this team again." He added with a smirk.

Nelly rolled her eyes. "Whatever. You Asians hate failure anyway." She then sighed grumpily. "But...thanks for not voting me out."

Nicholas seemed to be deep in thought while staring at the riverbed. Nelly saw this and went up beside him. "And what's on your mind?"

"It is nothing." He stated. "I was simply thinking about the next vote."

"Aw. Don't say that." Jude groaned. "I want us to keep winning challenges."

"Tsk. Elimination is inevitable you air head." Nelly spat.

"She is right, Jude. If yesterday was any indication, it's that we should not rest easy no matter what. The Red Sith survived with four members." Nicholas said to them. He picked up a flat rock and made it skip, successfully reaching the other side of the river.

"That's because you let them get away." Nelly sneered as she also skipped a rock, which went to the other side as well.

Nicholas said nothing but Jude interjected. "Hey be nice. He tried at least. Let's just drop it and get ready for the next one." He did the same, but his rock only did two short skips and failed to even go halfway. "Aw what?" He frowned.

Both Nicholas and Nelly chuckled.

 **~Confessional~**

 **Nicholas:** Yes, I did fail to apprehend them in the smuggling challenge. I will do better next time, and put my faith in my airtight logic.

 **Nelly:** You know...Jude and Nicholas are cool. I'm still superior to them of course! But it wouldn't hurt to at least have them as allies. They are pretty useful in challenges after all.

 **Jude:** I gotta step up my game. The first team challenge established my usefulness in challenges, but I shouldn't sleep on that bed. I gotta make sure I do even better for my team. *he pounded his fists together*

 **~End Confessional~**

* * *

 **(Red Sith)**

Felix went out of the outpost to find Nataline and Desmond conversing outside. The noble girl was plucking petals from a flower as she listened to the other boy.

"I'm here to propose an alliance." Desmond started. "It's time someone takes control of the team, and we're fit to do that." He explained. "In case elimination comes, at least we'll watch each other's backs. I even got Felix to join me."

"An interesting offer indeed." Nataline nodded.

Felix cleared his throat and both of them turned to see him. "Am I interrupting something?"

"No not at all." Desmond smiled. "Guess what? Nataline is considering to join our alliance."

"It is important to have allies in this game after all." Nataline agreed. "I believe it is in my best interest to accept your offer but I'll give my final answer when elimination does come."

"Really? But-" Desmond was interrupted when Nataline waved her hand dismissively.

"That is my decision for now. I'm not changing it." She waved him off and headed further away from the outpost.

"Well fine then." Desmond grumbled.

Felix whistled to himself all this time. "So? You still think we can trust her? I'm telling you, Terrance is way better."

"She probably just doesn't want to think about elimination." Desmond sighed. "Whatever. She'll come around. We haven't lost a challenge yet so maybe she's being too calm about this."

"But who's your target anyway?" Felix asked. "Alliances have targets in mind, mind you."

"Wesley." He answered.

 **~Confessional~**

 **Felix:** Wesley? That nice guy who dresses nice? Well if that's what Desmond says. *shrugs*

 **Desmond:** During the first challenge I only teamed up with him for the outpost. And the first team challenge made me realize that he may not actually be all that useful after all. Maybe it's time we drop him. Plus I saw how the girls look at him so maybe he's not aware but he could have a powerful social game if he wanted."

 **~End Confessional~**

Inside the outpost, Wesley, Jane, Terrance, Betty, and Tatiana were all sitting down and talking.

"Congratulations on winning the challenge today." Wesley praised his teammates. "You all did a swell job."

"Four of us made it out." Jane added. "We were definitely winning that one."

"I was even the first one there." Betty exclaimed. "But that wouldn't have been possible if Tatiana didn't sacrifice herself."

"Aw geez. Anything for the party, right?" Tatiana said embarrassingly.

"You both did great." Wesley complimented and smiled. Both Tatiana and Betty blushed. Terrance saw this and rolled his eyes but yelped in pain when Tatiana stepped on his foot.

"But you should really pull your weight in the next challenge, Wesley." Jane pointed out to him. "It's only fair since you sat out the last challenge."

"I only did that because I was aware of my own limitations." Wesley continued to smile. "I do plan on contributing in this next challenge, of course." Now it was Jane's turn to blush. Terrance was now giving the wtf face at her.

~Confessional~

Terrance: The girls are easily swayed by Wesley and it's getting annoying. Is this how popular people get by in life?

Wesley: I will contribute in any way I can to the team in the next challenge. I do not want to be seen as a weak link.

Betty: O mi gosh! Wesley is just sooo dreamy! #ForeignDream

~End Confessional~

Wesley had excused himself to go to the restroom and Betty wanted to change back into her normal clothes so they each went to their bedrooms. This left the other three alone in the living room.

"I guess this is as good a time as any to talk about my offer." Jane stated.

"What offer?" Tatiana asked curiously.

"I want you to join my alliance." Jane said. "So that when elimination comes, we'll at least have each other's backs. I trust you both and I want to take you to the merge with me if ever." She explained.

"Wha- what?" Tatiana gasped. "But what about Betty? Are we just gonna leave her behind? Kick her out of the party? That's tyranny!"

"N-no!" Jane looks taken aback. "She'll be a part of this too. She just had to go change clothes so you can tell her about this instead when there's time."

"Oh okay. Cool." Tatiana calmed down. "For a second there I thought we were gonna ditch her."

"So do you have a target in mind?" Terrance raised his eyebrow.

"Felix." She simply stated.

 **~Confessional~**

 **Jane:** The way I see it, it's either Felix or Desmond. Desmond is at least better physically and probably more intelligent than Felix so I don't think we'll lose much if Felix leaves.

 **Terrance:** Felix, huh? I mean he doesn't seem like a popular kid so I kinda want to be friends with him. Well we still got until elimination time to think about it. Maybe I can swing the vote to Nataline if I'm lucky. Heh.

 **Tatiana:** Felix and I don't talk much. So I guess it's fine to vote him out if we lose. I seriously hope we don't, though.

 **~End Confessional~**

Chris' hologram appeared on all the team's outpost tables. "Get your team inside quickly. I'm about to change the scenery again for the next challenge."

Once everyone was inside, Chris began to shift and change the scenery using the control panel from the Drama Dome. All three outposts were now on top of a tall mountain side, surrounding a large futuristic facility. The contestants exited and found out that their outposts were next to each other.

"Oh look. I didn't know there was still some competition." Arnold said smugly. Sarah and Jude fist bumped him and laughed as well.

"Oh look. I didn't know you were still here. Just how many scapegoats are in your team anyway?" Cyrus shot back. He then counted them off. "Oh wait, you're all fodder." Shane smirked as Cyrus said it.

Chris approached them, not as a hologram. "Look I encourage the trash talking but save it until after I say what the challenge is about."

They calmed down and then Chris started talking again. "Now, for this challenge, you'll all be taking two data chips from inside this facility."

"More illegal acts." Nicholas shook his head.

"Would it make you feel better if I said that these data chips contains launch codes that could threaten humanity…and the aliens?" Chris smirked.

"...Yes." Nicholas conceded.

Tatiana raised her hand. "Will we have to make someone sit out of this again?"

"Excellent question, Tatiana." Chris said. "The answer is no." He smiled.

"What? But how is that freaking fair?" Nelly said in annoyance.

"It isn't and I don't care." Chris shrugged.

Jude whispered to Nelly. "Use that energy to help us win this challenge instead." Nelly scoffed in response but didn't say anything else.

"If we're attempting a mission like this, we'll definitely need equipment." Terrance stated.

"I agree. There are obviously soldiers inside." Jane agreed.

"Of course you'll be given a standard assault rifle and pistol. Aside from that, I'm allowing you to bring the tools you used in the volcanic race challenge. If you still have them." Chris smirked. Terrance, Nicholas, Cassie, and Jane all lit up at this remark and went inside to go get their items.

"The rest of you, here are your weapons." Chris snapped his fingers and blue sparks flickered in and three large steel crates formed in front of him. He opened it and there lies the rifles and pistols. Also inside are two frag grenades.

The four who went back to get their things came back out with them.

"This should be fun." Terrance smirked as he played with the EMP grenade.

"I love using this suit, y'all." Cassie said as she stretched a bit.

They also grabbed their weapons except for Nicholas, who only took the pistol and their two frag grenades but not the rifle. Cyrus took the grenades from their team's crate and Nataline and Desmond each took one frag grenade from theirs'.

"Okay, if everyone has their gear, I'll explain the starting points." Chris stated. A blue hologram appeared before them showing the map of the inside of the facility. It shows that there are three entrances in it and a glowing red dot somewhere near the center of the facility.

"Now here's how it's going to go. You won't go in by team and I will divide you into two groups of seven myself. One team will have to go with one extra member." Chris shrugged. "Now to my right is Jane, Arnold, Nelly, Wesley, Phoebe, Ivy, and Terrance. For this challenge, you'll be the yellow team."

The seven people obeyed and stood to Chris' right.

"Next to my left is Marvin, Cyrus, Nataline, Felix, Lucy, Harvey, and Tatiana. You guys are the orange team." Once again, the seven people who were called went to his left.

"Betty, Jude, Sarah, Valerie, Cassie, Desmond, Nicholas, and Shane will be the eight man group. They'll be the purple team." Chris concluded. The eight contestants nodded. "Now I set up which team takes which entrance."

The hologram showed three dots of their team's color on one of each entrance. "Any questions?" Chris asked.

Marvin raised his hand. "I have one. The winner of this challenge is determined by who takes the chips right?"

Chris smirked. "Yes. Why?"

"..Tsk. It means that we can betray our own temporary team members." Shane bluntly said. "We're forced to work together with the other teams but the eliminations remain original, am I right?"

"Yes. That is correct." Chris smiled smugly. "But the question is, will you do it? The facility is hard to finish with only one person after all."

Many of the contestants murmured among themselves. "Well I don't care how you do your strategy. Get to your assigned entrance!" The three teams immediately took off.

 **~Confessional~**

 **Phoebe:** Eek! I h-hope no one s-shoots me.

 **Nelly:** Finally. I can shoot those I hate here. *smirks*

 **Shane:** I want to try my chances soloing this challenge, but I don't know how difficult it is yet. I'll stick around with my 'team' but I'll be on my guard and watch my own back.

 **Tatiana:** I hope nobody plans to backstab the temporary party! We need pure loyalty here!

 **Lucy:** I really wish that nobody would toss me to the side. *gets teary eyed*

 **Cyrus:** Typical. Paranoia is gonna eat away at every group, I swear. I'll just work with them to gain their trust and shoot them when I'm feeling confident. No big deal.

 **Desmond:** To trust or not to trust? Hmm..

 **~End Confessional~**

* * *

 **(Yellow)**

The seven members of the temporary team all went to the entrance. It was already open and they saw a hallway illuminated by bright white lights.

"Here we are." Jane stated. "Now I know what you're all thinking…"

"Yes, let us take out potential weak links already." Nelly finished as she aimed her gun at Phoebe. The doll faced girl shrieked and hid behind Jane.

"Nelly! We're not shooting any of our teammates." Jane scolded.

"Teammates? You're a Red Sith and I'm a Blue Ardonian." Nelly pointed out.

"Ignore the nerd over here." Arnold scoffed. "She's got no love for teamwork anyway. She would have gone home last night too if it wasn't for Sarah bailing on us."

"You got something against nerds?" Terrance glared at Arnold as he adjusted his glasses. "You dumb jocks think you're so much better, let's see you single-handedly finish this challenge."

"Don't say that. He might not get past this first hallway." Nelly snickered.

"I don't have to listen to scrawny nerds like you two." Arnold shrugged them off. "In my soccer team, teamwork is everything. And in my personal philosophy, strength is everything." He flexed a bit before walking down the hallway.

"Please, let us all try to work together. We may come from different teams, but now is the time to put that aside." Wesley frowned. Nelly blushed a bit and reluctantly nodded.

"Fine." She sighed as she followed Arnold inside. The rest also started walking but Phoebe was still cowering behind Jane.

"It's okay Phoebe. I'll protect you." Jane assured her.

"We will do our best to not let harm come to you." Wesley smiled. "It is a gentleman's duty to make sure a lady is safe, after all."

Ivy came up to the three of them. "I suggest you leave her in my care. She is my teammate after all." She said as friendly as possible.

"We don't have to draw any lines here. We're ALL working together." She emphasized so that even Arnold and Nelly can hear. "We're in this together so no need to worry."

"A-and I trust Jane too." Phoebe added with a smile. Ivy nodded and went back to the front.

Terrance went up beside Nelly and started talking to her. "So he's on your team right?" He glanced at Arnold. "Is he always that arrogant?"

"Pretty freaking much." Nelly grumbled. "He's just a dumb jock. One slip up could get catastrophic."

"I agree." Terrance nodded. "Should we find a way to ditch him? I hate people like him too."

"For now let's keep him. A good meat shield if anything." Nelly shrugged. "But don't think I'll let you easy either, dimwit. I'll shoot you when I want to." She scoffed.

"Hey, we can work together on this. We're of the same social group." Terrance pointed out.

"I hang out with other nerds, sure, but not all of them can live up to my expectations." Nelly said harshly. "So screw off." She went on ahead and left him behind.

"Girls….tsk.." Terrance grumbled to himself.

 **~Confessional~**

 **Arnold:** I'll show these nerds why we jocks are the best! They're scrawny and useless in challenges so why should they complain when someone who's good in challenges is there to win it for us?

 **Phoebe:** I'm glad Jane i-is here. I f-feel much safer now. I hope that other g-girl won't shoot me. *cowers in fear*

 **Nelly:** I guess I should have tried to befriend Terrance but screw that! He's probably a phony anyway. Just look at that hoodie. He must be all like 'Ooh, I'm so edgy and I hate jocks and everyone that isn't like me. Oooh.'"

 **~End Confessional~**

* * *

 **(Orange)**

The team were already walking down a similar hallway, watching out for any guards or traps.

"This is so cool, guys! A new party isn't so bad. I even have two of my old party members here with me." Tatiana beamed as she pointed at both Nataline and Felix.

"Indeed. I am also glad we will be working together." Nataline agreed with a smile. "It's also been a while, Lucy."

"Oh." Lucy turned around to look at her. "Right. Ehehe, it has been a while since we worked together."

"You can get soft now, but Chris said only one of us can grab the data chip." Cyrus sneered. "Right, Marvin?"

The boy peeked around a corner and found it to be clear. "That may be true. But the two of us can't do this by ourselves. Whether you like it or not, we need their help."

"Well said." Harvey agreed. "Stabbing each other in the back is not cool."

"Nothing in this game is 'cool'." Cyrus grunted to himself.

"All clear." Felix called as he peeked around another corner. "Seriously, I wanna prank people right now."

"What's stopping you?" Harvey asked.

"I need the right tools man. I don't do half assed pranks." Felix replied.

"Let's go there." Lucy pointed to a spacious room filled with mechanical contraptions. "Maybe it's in there."

She was about to enter but Cyrus shoved her aside. "Move it." He said harshly. He went up to a machine and poked it with his gun. "What the heck is this?"

Marvin and Nataline came up beside him. "Perhaps we shouldn't mess with it." The former suggested.

"But there really might be something inside." Nataline pointed out. She looked around and saw a red button plastered on the wall.

"Gaming tip no. 7: Never press red buttons." Tatiana warned. "Like I really don't recommend that."

"It might get the machines running." Marvin said. "I suggest you press it and see what it does."

Nataline looked back at the red button. After some internal debate, she decided not to press it. "I don't think we should. We don't know what will happen and I want to play passive for now." She decided.

"Phew." Tatiana sighed in relief.

"Whatever. Let's move on then." Cyrus said as he turned back to the entrance. He shoved Lucy aside again as he did so.

 **~Confessional~**

 **Lucy:** *is teary eyed and rubbing her arm* Why does he keep doing that? It actually hurts.

 **Nataline:** I want to play passively for now and then really go for it when the end is near. I assume there will be a struggle soon so I want to be prepared for it.

 **Cyrus:** I have to watch these people carefully. Marvin is on my side, but I know what Nataline and Harvey can do in challenges. I need to make sure they don't try anything out of line.

 **~End Confessional~**

* * *

 **(Purple)**

The team is currently examining a room filled with scrap metal and other junk.

"Why would an important data chip be in here?" Desmond inquired as Nicholas and Jude began feeling around.

"You never know. Chris likes to throws us off for fun anyway." Jude said as he threw aside a small tire.

"That might make some sense." Cassie said as she also helped them searched the junk. "Valerie, come help."

"I just did my nails so I really don't wanna touch anything dirty right now." Valerie replied back. "Plus I'm still pissed about Nicholas taking my cane." She pouted.

"I took it fair and square. And I prefer the term 'confiscated' since you were about to hurt Sarah with it and so I prevented that." Nicholas stated matter-of-factly.

"#SquadGoals" Betty snapped a group picture.

Shane rolled his eyes and left the room. "I'm outta here." He bluntly said.

"Wait! I really think you-" Jude was cut off when he was suddenly plunged downwards.

"What?" Nicholas jumped back up and aimed his pistol at the pile. Cassie also jumped back and held her rifle as well.

"Gah! Help me!" Jude struggled to get up by a metal hand is seen gripping his shirt tightly. Soon the assailant rose up and revealed itself to be a robot taller than any of them. It continued to grip Jude as he struggled to free himself.

Nicholas, Cassie, Desmond, and Sarah opened fire. The blaster shots hit the robot but doesn't seem to be affecting it.

"It's not doing anything!" Sarah exclaimed in fear. "But we have to help him somehow!" Betty had already ran out of the room in fear and Valerie was too scared to move a muscle.

Nicholas switched from his pistol to his cane, twirling it around before thrusting it right through the robot's skull and leaving it stuck there.

"You got it!" Sarah cheered.

"I'm still stuck." Jude groaned as the robot still didn't release its grip on him. Its crest area opened up to reveal a small time bomb attached to it. "Oh God." His face shrunk.

"It's going to explode!" Valerie shrieked as she ran outside.

"We're going to have to leave him behind." Desmond said as he placed a hand on Nicholas' shoulder.

"Go. It's alright. Just win it for us." Jude gave a weak thumbs up as the time left for the bomb grew shorter and shorter.

"I understand. Everyone, we're leaving." Nicholas called out to Sarah and Cassie, who nodded and followed him and Desmond outside of the room.

They saw Betty and Valerie in the hallway waiting for them and joined them.

"Where's Jude?" Betty asked uneasily. As if on cue, an explosion can be heard in the room they were just in.

"There's your answer." Nicholas responded with a poker face. "Where's Shane?"

"We didn't see him out here." Valerie said. "I think he took off on his own."

"Nothing new there." Cassie shrugged.

"Then we should go as well." Nicholas said. They all nodded and ran down the hallway again.

 **~Confessional~**

 **Nicholas:** I need to focus on the challenge. Jude is obviously not dead so why should I be worried?

 **Sarah:** I know that people respawn but it still sucks to see them die like that. Guess I'm not used to it yet.

 **Desmond:** Well on the bright side, that's one less Blue Ardonian I have to worry about.

 **Shane:** I changed my mind. Working with them will only slow me down. And people like Nicholas are hard to predict so I'd rather continue this alone.

 **~End Confessional~**

* * *

 **(Yellow)**

The teens made their way around the facility, still finding nothing.

"I wonder if there really is any resistance here…." Ivy trailed off.

Jane went over to Wesley and whispered to him. "If there isn't resistance anytime soon, we should start taking them out."

"That seems cruel." Wesley frowned.

"They'll do the same." Jane reasoned. "If it comes down to it, we must stick together. We take out Arnold first. Then Nelly."

"Will Terrance be okay with this?" Wesley asked.

"Look at him. He's basically itching to shoot Arnold right now." They both looked over at Terrance who was glaring daggers at Arnold while the latter was arguing with Nelly.

"You better not think of soloing this challenge." Nelly sneered. "Last thing we need is some yahoo thinking they're top dog running around shooting people."

Arnold scoffed. "So? If I go around and use my mad footwork skills to catch these people off guard, it will make things easier for us. We're still Blue Ardonians."

"You know I can hear you, right?" Terrance pitched in as he played with his EMP grenade.

"I know." Arnold remarked. "Want me to hold that grenade for you? I think I'm a better thrower than you." He flexed his muscles tauntingly. "Nah, I'm kidding bro." He laughed.

Terrance, however, looked furious. "Want me to shove it up your-" He was interrupted when Phoebe screamed. They all looked back to see a dozen or so droids rounding a corner behind them and suddenly pointing their guns at them.

"Intruders!" One droid exclaimed. Arnold, Nelly, and Terrance took cover behind a wall while the rest of the team entered the room nearest to them for safety. The droids began firing as they did so.

"Eek! W-what do we do?" Phoebe asked in fear. She held her gun tightly but is too scared to peek out. Ivy seemed to be in a daze.

"We need to fight back." Jane said with conviction. She peeked out and began shooting at the droids. She managed to take down one.

"Ivy? Are you alright?" Wesley turned to the quiet girl who was still in a daze. "We have a problem."

"Ivy, this is no time to be dozing off! Focus!" Jane barked. This brought Ivy back to reality as she held her gun.

"Sorry, I did it again." She apologized. "What happened?"

"Droids are a-attacking us." Phoebe answered as she curled up in a corner. "I d-don't want to go out there." She fearfully added.

Meanwhile, Arnold and Nelly began shooting back at the droids.

"Come on, Terrance. Use the damn grenade." Nelly ordered.

"Nah…" He replied nonchalantly as he continued to play with it. "I'd rather save it to save myself."

Arnold yelped in pain as he got hit on the arm. "Argh!" He slumped back on the wall.

Terrance saw his chance and took out his pistol. Before the soccer player could react, he shot him in the head and making his avatar flicker out.

"What the.." Nelly realized what happened to her teammate and was about to turn back but Terrance held the gun to her head. "What do you think you're doing!?"

"Winning this for my team. Nothing personal." Terrance simply stated as he was about to pull the trigger.

"Wait! You wouldn't hurt a fellow nerd now would you?" Nelly tried to reason with him. "Arnold is out. We can take command of this team now."

Terrance raised his eyebrow. "I want to trust you but you're on the other team." He pointed out to her.

"We can settle this when we get there." Nelly answered. "For now, let's order these people around."

"I'm not sure Jane will like that." Terrance shook his head. "And while I'm at it, I should go back Wesley too. I hate that guy."

"Then we can take them both out!" Nelly suggested. "You don't need them, right? Prove to them that nerds like us rule!"

"...Okay." Terrance breathed. He then smiled mischievously. "This might just worked." He placed his gun back on the holster. "Fine. We'll have a truce." He decided.

"Good. You won't regret it." Nelly smiled back. "Now how do we draw them out?"

"I can handle that." Terrance poked his head out of cover and saw Jane do the same. He gestured for her to engage the enemy on his count while he and Nelly give cover fire. Jane easily picked up the message and told this plan to Wesley and the others.

"Now let the fun begin." Nelly smirked.

 **~Confessional~**

 **Terrance:** Okay so betraying my teammates like that is dumb move. But I just hate Wesley for being able to manipulate girls like that as if it was nothing. Sorry Jane, but try to understand.

 **Nelly:** I didn't know Terrance had it in him to just willingly betray his teammates like that. He might be cool after all. *smirks*

 **~End Confessional~**

Terrance started counting down as Jane looked at him, her gun at the ready. When Terrance reached zero, he nodded and Jane, Wesley, and Ivy came out and started firing on the droids. Just like Nelly and Terrance planned, they did not shoot along with them and simply watched them go. Droids fell but then Wesley got shot and his avatar flickered out.

"It's working." Nelly exclaimed. "Let's go. We can ditch them now."

"Wait. Something's wrong." Terrance counted them. "Phoebe isn't with them."

More droids exploded but then Ivy got hit next. She managed to retreat back to cover though before she took fatal damage on herself.

"Terrance! Where's the back up?" Jane demanded. She looked behind her only to see Nelly there, holding her gun while grinning menacingly at her. "What!?"

Her shock was enough for the droids to shoot her down. Her flickered out and Nelly ducked for cover. Terrance leaned against the wall adjusting his glasses.

"Jane is gone?" He asked.

"Yep. Let's get the hell outta here. Ivy is injured but alive, and Phoebe still hasn't come out." Nelly shrugged.

"Wait, I got a plan." Terrance smirked. Nelly tilted her head.

Meanwhile, Ivy was panting as she gripped her left shoulder. She is sitting beside Phoebe, who is looking at her with concern.

"I-Ivy? A-are you okay?" The doll faced girl worriedly asked as she held her hand.

"Yeah...Yeah.." Ivy managed to say. "We lost both Jane and Wesley. I don't know about the other three."

"This is b-bad." Phoebe cowered in fear.

"That may seem so..." Ivy said in pain.

They suddenly heard more gunshots and metal crashing on the floor. Then they saw Nelly and Terrance enter the room, holding their rifles.

"Can you stand or do we have to shoot you too?" Nelly smirked. Terrance elbowed her arm.

"Don't mind her. Come on, we can still make it." Terrance assured.

Ivy and Phoebe looked at each other before standing up and following them though the former went slower than usual due to the injury.

 **~Confessional~**

 **Terrance:** I just gotta keep the two Green Drell members on a leash, and then I can betray Nelly later. I'm the last of my team left so I need to be extra careful. I swear, I'll win this for us and prove that it doesn't take popular kids or bullies to get far.

 **Nelly:** I'll prove to my team that I can carry a challenge. Brain over brawn! Just watch, Ivy and the rest don't know jack about what's coming to them.

 **Jane:** Did Nelly shoot Terrance before he could help us? Sneaky little...Ugh!

 **Wesley:** I hope my team forgives me for my failure. I've never held a gun before so this is all so new to me.

 **Phoebe:** I-I'm scared, but Ivy needs my help more than ever s-so I'll do my best! I h-hope I don't die.

 **~End Confessional~**

* * *

 **(Orange)**

The team was currently taking cover behind some steel crates as a group of heavily armored troops and droids swarmed them from two corridors, leaving them stuck in between.

"Any bright ideas?" Felix asked them all as he checked the ammo remaining on his rifle.

"I got one." Nataline answered as she held up one frag grenade.

"Why only one?" Lucy tilted her head.

"Desmond got the other one." Nataline frowned. "Now where should I throw this?"

"I suggest the left side. They first pooled in from there so I think they want to defend that side first. Just my opinion." Marvin suggested.

"I say we break through the right!" Tatiana said confidently. "In games, it's always the right path that's right." She exclaimed with a toothy grin. The rest just gave her a look.

"That makes no sense." Cyrus retorted.

"Yes it does." The gamer girl frowned. "You probably suck at video games."

"I don't play those." The emo said flatly.

"Can we focus on the matter at hand here?" Nataline interrupted. "I still don't know where we should go."

Marvin got out from cover and shot a few droids before sitting back down. "We need to move now. More of them are coming." He warned.

"Meh. Marvin's reasoning for the left side seemed legit to me." Felix shrugged.

Nataline nodded. She got out of cover and threw the frag grenade at the group of soldiers and droids on the left path. It exploded and most of them got caught in the blast.

"Now!" She commanded. The others also got out of cover and began firing at what's left of the enemy forces in the left path. Then they charged forth, but not before Harvey and Marvin both got shot by troops from the right side.

"Gahh!" Harvey dropped to a crouch as he held his injured arm. Marvin's avatar had already flickered out.

"Harvey!" Lucy exclaimed as she looked back to see her teammate there.

"Go on without me." Harvey held his hand up. "I'll hold them off here."

Lucy was about to go to his when a hand grabbed her shoulder. She looked and saw Nataline there, shaking her head. She hesitantly followed them as they continued to go towards the left path, leaving Harvey behind as he tried to fight back but got shot down in the process.

 **~Confessional~**

 **Lucy:** *she is teary eyed* Now I'm all alone here. They're definitely going to shoot me now, aren't they? *sniff*

 **Cyrus:** I expected casualties, but to think it was Marvin who fell. Tsk. Whatever. I'm still in this, so my team has a chance.

 **Tatiana:** It is obvious game logic that you must always follow the right path when given the choice. But then again, I don't think I've ever followed that rule before.

 **~End Confessional~**

* * *

 **(Purple)**

The team were running down the hallway as fast as they could, apparently fleeing from something.

"Keep going! We might lose it in the next room!" Desmond urged.

They turned a corner and soon their assailant also came into view. It was a massive mechanical machine with a minigun for a left arm and a flamethrower for a right arm. It moved at average speed which made it easier for them to flee from it.

"#IHateRobots" Betty typed into her phone. Unfortunately, this made her lose balance and she tripped over herself, crashing into Valerie. They both fell and their weapons slid down away from them.

"Hey!" Valerie exclaimed. "Watch it, chubby!"

"That's not very nice." Betty pouted as tried to stand up.

The others saw this and stopped. "What are you doing? Get up." Sarah said.

"We keep moving." Nicholas stated evenly. "If we linger here any longer, it will catch us." He reasoned as he kept moving.

"Aw nah. I'm gon' help my teammate." Cassie disagreed as she rushed to Valerie's aid and helped her up. The robot soon came into view and it charged up its minigun.

Desmond looked towards Betty then at Nicholas. He gulped and followed the detective, and Sarah kept moving as well. The robot fired its gun just as Valerie got up and she and Cassie started running again. Betty was completely shot down by a torrent of shots and the minigun also caught the country girl by the ankle.

"Yow!" Cassie tumbled down in pain. She tried to stand but her ankle was badly injured. "My ankle's busted. I ain't gon' help much none." She groaned.

"But.." Valerie started.

"Just go! Don't let my sacrifice go to waste here." Cassie said.

Valerie nodded as she took off after the others.

 **~Confessional~**

 **Nicholas:** I assume that we are nearing the area where the data chip is located. At this point, losing people from the other team is not a big deal. It is only logical to press on no matter what, especially since there is a high chance of someone playing cutthroat.

 **Cassie:** Y'know, this would have been easier if Shane was still here. I wonder where that boy went.

 **Desmond:** I figured that staying alive is more important now at this point yet I feel sorry for Betty. I pray that she understands.

 **Betty:** Desmond totally left me there! What a bad teammate. *she huffs*

 **~End Confessional~**

 **(Shane)**

Shane was currently inside a room examining a map of the facility. He looked at all the points and tried to remember where the data chip is. He heard movement outside so he grabbed his rifle and pressed himself up against the wall. He kept silent as he listened closely who it was.

"Hurry up, Ivy! I swear I'll leave you behind if you go any slower." Nelly grumbled.

"Don't say that." Terrance told her. "She's injured so cut her some slack."

"Then let's do what I suggested earlier and just shoot her. So what if we're three left afterwards?" Nelly shot back.

"C-can't we all just g-get along?" Phoebe cowered.

Shane furrowed his brow. He held his rifle tight and waited for their footsteps to get louder.

 **~Confessional~**

 **Shane:** So Ivy and Phoebe are here, huh? And it looks like two others seem to be taking charge of the group. Heh. Badass sequence in 3...2...1...

 **~End Confessional~**

The lone boy rolled to the side and revealed himself, propping his gun up as he took a moment before firing. He shot Nelly's thigh and the nerd dropped down in pain. He moved forward to grab her and spin her around, making her face Terrance as she accidentally pulled the trigger in shock. The techie boy sidestepped and fired back, damaging Nelly enough for her avatar to disappear. Now without a human shield, Shane dropped his rifle and charged forward until he was face to face with the other boy, elbowed upwards which connected with Terrance's rifle as the firearm missed its next shot. Shane decked Terrance across the face which sent the latter down to the ground, releasing his rifle as he did.

"Pathetic. That was too easy." Shane remarked as he stepped down on Terrance, drawing out his pistol as he did. Phoebe was cowering behind Ivy as the latter held her back with one arm and used the other to hold her rifle loosely.

"You win. Stop gloating and make it quick." Terrance said angrily. "This sucks."

"It does...for the weak." Shane smirked arrogantly as he fired a shot, making Terrance's avatar flicker out.

"Shane? Where did you come from?" Ivy asked him as she calmed down. "Weren't you with another group?" She asked in a friendly manner.

"I ditched them." Shane said bluntly as he pointed to the path behind him. "This way." He started down the path.

"You like working alone right?" Ivy asked. "We'd only be a hindrance." She gestured towards her injured arm.

"You're right." Shane affirmed. "But you're also my teammates. So unless you feel like shooting me in the back which will definitely make us lose this, you should follow."

"O-okay." Phoebe told him as she nudged Ivy forward. "We c-can trust Shane. He's w-with us." She smiled up at her.

"I know, Phoebe." Ivy smiled reassuringly. "I was probably just shocked by what just happened."

 **~Confessional~**

 **Ivy:** Shane can be pretty scary when the situation is right. I should keep this in mind since I may have been thinking less of him before.

 **Shane:** I like being a lone wolf but I know how this game works as well. I need them to see me as an asset or else I'll be eliminated for simply not socializing. It's sad and pathetic, but true.

 **~End Confessional~**

* * *

 **(Orange)**

They were now walking in another hallway, avoiding further conflict. They didn't come across any more soldiers or droids ever since they took the left path.

"Did Chris run out of AI to send at us?" Tatiana mocked. "Are we nearing the final boss!?" She exclaimed in excitement.

"I hope we can get to the data chips easily." Lucy said softly. "utMy arms hurt from holding my gun."

"Then why the hell did you pick it up then? It's not like you have the gift of shooting. Yeah, I may sound rude but I didn't see you fire a single shot when we were pinned down earlier." Cyrus retorted.

"Cease this at once, Cyrus." Nataline glared at him. "I didn't see your shots hitting anything other than a wall earlier too."

"Shut up." Cyrus grunted. "I still don't get why they cast you. You're already rich right? You have no right to be here."

Nataline's face contorted in anger. "I dare you to say that again." She pointed her gun at him and everyone stopped. "My reasons for being here are of no concern to you."

Cyrus was about to point his gun at her as well but she shot him in the arm, making him drop his. "Argh! You..."

"Hey, let's all just take a quick breather here." Felix tried to stop them.

Cyrus used his other hand to draw his pistol but Nataline shot that one too.

"I don't think I like your attitude." Nataline sternly said to Cyrus as the latter staggered backwards. "Don't think you're so entitled!"

"Then you don't have to deal with it anymore." He smirked as he weakly tried to reach for his frag grenades but Nataline shot him in the head, making his avatar flicker out before he activated the grenade.

Tatiana and Felix were speechless. Lucy was teary eyed as she looked at Nataline and then at the spot where Cyrus once stood.

 **~Confessional~**

 **Lucy:** *her eye flashes red* So it seems Nataline is sensitive to her reasons of joining here. I wonder what else she hides. Can I use them? Maybe. Will it work? It better. For now, I need to make sure they don't shoot me simply because I'm the odd one out.

 **~End Confessional~**

Lucy backed away slowly and the other three saw this.

"Lucy..." Nataline began with sad eyes. "It's not what you think."

"So that's it? Are you going to shoot me next?" Lucy said in fear as she backed up faster, raising her gun slowly.

"Never!" Tatiana replied with confidence. "Wait..actually.." Felix rapped her on the head before she could say any more.

"Don't mind her. You can still travel with us." The prankster shrugged.

Lucy kept backing up until her foot stepped down on a secret panel. It made a short clicking sound followed by steel being pushed aside as the wall beside her opened to reveal a secret room. It was dimly lit and had neon green and blue highlights along the walls and ceiling.

"Hey cool. This might be it." Felix remarked.

Nataline kept looking at Lucy as she cautiously approached her. "Would you like to go first? You found it after all."She smiled at her friend.

Lucy looked towards the entrance to the room, and with a gulp she rushed inside, disappearing into the slight darkness.

"Wait! Lucy!" Nataline called after her as she rushed inside after her.

"Don't forget about the rest of your party!" Tatiana ran inside as well.

"I swear it's hard to keep up with you guys." Felix sighed as he moved to follow them but a shot whizzed by him. "What?"

"Not so fast." Nicholas said as he stood on the opposite side of the hallway with the rest of the purple team.

"Hey that's Felix." Desmond realized. Sarah shot him multiple times in the back and his avatar disappeared. Valerie looked at the rocker girl in shock.

"Sorry. Me and Nicholas talked about it." Sarah apologized as she aimed at the flirt. Valerie ducked in time and shot the other girl in the gut which sent her to the ground.

"Yes. I did it." Valerie cheered for a moment before she saw Nicholas aimed his pistol at her head and fired, making her disappear.

"Now, the last one." He muttered as he aimed again at Felix. The prankster yelled a battle cry as he unleashed a torrent of shots at the detective but he took cover behind a turn immediately. Sarah got hit by a few as she tried to stand and immediately flickered out.

 **~Confessional~**

 **Nicholas:** It would seem that I'm the last one of the purple team remaining. Well, Shane has gone MIA but at this point we're back to our original teams now.

 **~End Confessional~**

Nicholas got out of cover and shot at Felix who took the hits and slumped against the wall. The detective walked towards him as he took out one frag grenade and threw it at the room where the rest had entered.

"Well at least I tried to stop you." Felix weakly said.

"Logically, you stood no chance. You didn't look like you had much experience with a gun so I did not expect much resistance from you." Nicholas stated evenly. "But on the bright side, you can die knowing you took out Sarah. That reduces that chances of the Blue Ardonians winning."

"But here I am, so it looks like the Red Sith need to pick up the pace as well." Felix smirked as his avatar fully flickered out.

Meanwhile, Nataline and Tatiana walked around the dark room. They heard the grenade go off not far behind them and so they had moved deeper into the vast room, trying to search for Lucy and the data chips.

"Lucy? Where are you?" Nataline called.

"Data chips, where are you?" Tatiana called.

"We should probably not raise our voices here." Nataline whispered as she realized. "Whoever threw that frag grenade is most likely someone from the other team."

"Or Desmond." Tatiana pointed out. "Could be him."

"The odds are not in our favor, Tatiana." Nataline frowned. "We don't even know if this is the right room."

The two girls ventured further until they saw a concentrated blue light focused on a spot in the room. There, in the far end, are two chips side by side, each contained in a glass tube atop a metallic stand.

"I see it." Tatiana whispered to her companion. "Let's hurry and grab one."

"Not so fast." A voice called out from behind them. They turned and saw Nicholas with his pistol drawn as he stalked towards them. "I'm not going to allow you to take those." He simply stated with no emotion as he clutched his weapon tightly.

"Wait, there are two data chips." Nataline reasoned. "If we each take one, the Red Sith and Blue Ardonians win."

"And what about us?" Another voice said. They all turned and saw Shane, Ivy, and Phoebe come up from another side. "You think we're just gonna roll over?" He sneered at Nataline.

"Oooohh, this is getting intense." Tatiana said excitedly. She drew her gun and pointed it at Shane while Nataline pointed hers at Nicholas.

"Eeek!" Phoebe shrieked as she backed up a little and struggled to raise her gun. Ivy had a blank look on her face, oblivious to what was happening around her.

"Die." Shane said darkly as he starting shooting Tatiana. The gamer girl ducked and started shooting back, but the lone wolf rolled to the side in time. The shots hit Ivy instead and she fell over as her avatar flickered out.

"Ivy! N-No." Phoebe looked pained but she took a deep breath and aimed at Tatiana, firing multiple shots before holding her gun loosely again due to its weight.

"What the-" The gamer girl got pelted by the shots and her avatar instantly disappeared, leaving Nataline alone and the last Red Sith remaining.

 **~Confessional~**

 **Tatiana:** Aw phooey! I lost the boss battle.

 **Nataline:** I suppose it's all up to me now. Time to put what I learned to the test.

 **Shane:** A detective and a rich girl? This shouldn't be too difficult.

 **Nicholas:** The odds of me winning is high. I can tell because I noticed Nataline having a hard time maintaining her form as she holds her gun and Shane's breathing rate is rather faster than normal, meaning that they have exhausted themselves as they were navigating the facility.

 **~End Confessional~**

The detective danced around the area as he avoided Nataline's shots while firing from his own gun. The girl sidestepped as she kept shooting, also sending some shots towards Shane. The boy retaliated by rolling forward and shooting her, catching her by the shoulder.

"Agh! Damn it!" She cursed. "Pardon my French." She added sweetly as she tumbled to the side to avoid any further shots.

Nicholas took this chance to rush towards the data chip. Shane tried shooting him but the detective was simply too quick for him. As a last resort, Shane threw himself at the other boy but Nicholas saw this and ducked, pushing him upwards to make him fall over behind him.

"It's mine now." He stated as he reached over and grabbed a data chip. His avatar started to flicker away slowly. "Hmm?" He disappeared from the area along with the data chip.

"Nicholas wins it for the Blue Ardonians!" Chris' voice rings out all around the room. "There is one last data chip remaining. Who will take it and emerge in second place?"

Phoebe looked confused as she looked around frantically. She tried to aim her gun at Nataline but the latter had already begun moving again and began firing at Shane. A figure came up from behind the doll faced girl stealthily.

"Ehehe." The voice said. Before Phoebe could turn back she was shot a few times, sending her to the floorvand she soon disappeared. The figure revealed to be Lucy without her headband and her right eye red again. She had an evil smile on her face and was slowly flickering away due to Nicholas already winning. Nobody else noticed this so she disappeared from the area safely.

 **(Shane vs Nataline)**

Shane darted his eyes around briefly before realizing that he was alone with Nataline.

"It's just you and me now." He growled.

"Then let's dance." Nataline mused. She gripped her gun tightly and began firing at him. Since Shane dropped hisgun to charge at Nicholas, he had nothing to retaliate with as he narrowly dodged the blaster shots by hopping back.

"Don't think it'll be the same as last time." He said irritably as he charged forth and wrestled Nataline's gun out of her grasp. They struggled for a while but Shane was clearly the stronger man. He pried it out of her grip and pushed the butt of the gun to her face, making her stagger backwards.

"Not yet." Nataline said through gritted teeth as she drew out her pistol and fired at Shane. It pierced the gun and made it explode instantly, knocking Shane back. He recovered instantly by planting his feet on the ground and drew out his own pistol.

"This is starting to get interesting." Shane smirked. He fired as he closed the distance which caught Nataline off guard. He stepped to the right and used his left knee to hit her gut, forcing her to double over and loosen her grip on the gun.

"Ugh.." She coughed as she turned and punched him. He caught her fist in midair and twisting her arm behind her, then kicked her down and pinned her.

"Heh. This is for yesterday." He smirked victoriously.

"Let me go!" Nataline demanded, but to no avail. Shane aimed his pistol at her head and fired. Nataline's avatar flickered out as the boy stood strode towards the last data chip.

"You know, you technically win it for the Green Drell already." Chris' voice rang out around the room again. "But if it means that much to you, you can take it."

Shane just grunted as he angrily swiped the glass tube with the data chip in it and his avatar disappeared.

Everyone else was waiting in the place where they gathered when Shane's avatar flickered in. Chris is standing among them with a knowing smirk on his face.

"The Blue Ardonians win first place and the Green Drell, a close second." Chris said. "Red Sith, you have lost this challenge. I'll see you at the elimination site in an hour." All the members of the Red Sith groaned and sighed at this news. "All other teams must watch, of course." Everyone else groaned as well. "Really, guys?"

 **~Confessional~**

 **Desmond:** This is it. I need to convince the others to lose Wesley. As long as there are females here, that guy is dangerous.

 **Terrrance:** This is it. Time to eliminate some popular people. Now, Nataline or Wesley?

 **Tatiana:** Voting off a member of our party? I never did it before in any game I played so this is all so new to me!

 **~End Confessional~**

* * *

 **(Red Sith)**

The team headed back to their outpost in silence. Almost everyone went inside the outpost except for Desmond who also pulled in Nataline and Felix to join him outside.

"Okay, so the inevitable elimination is here." Desmond started. "I have a target in mind. Wesley."

"I'm cool with that." Felix shrugged. "I got nothing against the guy but strategy isn't my strong suit so yeah."

"Why are we voting for him?" Nataline inquired. "Wouldn't it be better to vote for someone like Betty? She isn't that helpful in challenges and her phone constantly distracts her and even affects the team in general."

"Yes but she can be a vote shield later on and a possible vote on our side if we can convince her. Wesley, on the other hand, can have a strong social game if he wants to. He may not have realized it yet but if he does then we're screwed." Desmond explained.

"Social game?" Nataline tilted her head.

"Has the mere presence of him ever made you blush? Or at least when you talk to him?" Desmond asked flatly.

Nataline blushed a bit at this as she looked away. "Well...Um.."

"Exactly." Desmond sighed. "He could very well manipulate you into doing what he wants very soon."

"Well at the very least, he seems more competent in challenges than Betty." Nataline argued.

"Just try to think about it, alright?" Desmond said. "We have an hour anyway. Come on, Felix."

"Oh. Sure." The prankster nodded blankly as he followed Desmond inside.

Nataline tapped her chin in thought.

 **~Confessional~**

 **Desmond** : I need to try to convince the others about this vote. But even if I only get the other guys to do it, the best that could happen is a tie. Please tell me at least Jane sees reason.

 **~End Confessional~**

Inside the outpost, Terrance, Jane, Betty, and Tatiana are talking about the vote.

"Tatiana told me what you guys are doing. And I'm in!" Betty exclaimed.

"Glad to have you onboard." Jane smiled. "Now as for the vote, I'm thinking Felix."

"The prankster? But he hasn't really pranked anyone yet so why should we lose him?" Tatiana asked.

"Weak link." Jane said as if it's the most obvious thing in the world.

"I don't talk to him much so it's fine with me." Betty nodded in agreement.

"Well if that's what the party wants, then Felix it is!" Tatiana exclaimed. At that moment, the outpost door opened and in walked Desmond and Felix.

"Speak of the devil." Jane muttered under her breath.

"Hello." Desmond greeted. He looked around. "Is Wesley here?"

Terrance gestured towards the bedroom. "He wanted to take a shower before elimination."

"I see." Desmond said. "Then it will be easier to get my proposal across."

"Proposal?" Betty asked, intrigued.

"Yes. I want to see if you're all willing to vote for Wesley tonight." Desmond suggested to them. "He may not know it, but he may possibly hold the strongest social game out of all of us."

"How?" Tatiana tilted her head.

"He's good at talking to girls. I've seen the way you all look at him." The girls blushed at this. "See? Nataline had the same reaction too." Desmond pointed out.

"He's basically saying that it would be better if he's gone or something like that." Felix shrugged.

"We'll consider it. No promises." Jane answered.

"I guess that's all I can hope for." Desmond sighed as he headed for the boys' bedroom. Felix went back outside of the outpost.

 **~Confessional~**

 **Terrance:** So it's either Felix or Wesley. On one hand, eliminating Felix means removing dead weight. On the other hand, Wesley is a popular kid who's used to getting what he wants and things going his way. Hmm...

 **Jane:** Desmond brings up...interesting points. But I still think Felix will hold us back more. Even though Betty is the weakest link, she is a vote on our side, so I'll take her over him.

 **~End Confessional~**

* * *

 **(Elimination Ceremony)**

Chris stood in front of the Red Sith at the center of the elimination ceremony site. He had seven space food containers with him. "You know the drill. You get a space food container, you're safe. And the one who doesn't, leaves this game and their shot at the million." He smirked. "Excited?"

He received various grunts and 'mehs' from the Red Sith.

"Whatever." Chris rolled his eyes. "Those who are safe are...Jane!" He tosses it at the girl.

"Tatiana!"

"Desmond!"

"Nataline!"

"Terrance!"

"...Betty!"

This left Felix and Wesley in the bottom two. Felix looked flabbergasted while Wesley looked really worried.

"The final container goes to...

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

..

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

...Wesley!" The foreign man sighed in relief and smiled as he received his container.

Felix remained flabbergasted. "Wha...Wha...What!?" He glared at Desmond. "You said Wesley would be going home tonight!"

Desmond had nothing to say. He just looked down in shock.

"Felix, you have finished the game in 22nd place." Chris announced. "Any last words?"

"Yeah. Screw you all." Felix said angrily. "And I never got to prank people too..." He muttered.

A large beam shone down on him, engulfing him completely and soon he was gone from the site.

"Everyone can head to bed now. You are dismissed." Chris said. Everyone began to file out of the area. Terrance glanced at Nataline, who smirked at him as she passed by. He clenched his fist as he adjusted his glasses.

 **~Votes~**

 **Desmond:** I vote for Wesley. I just know his social game could be terrifying if he tried. I hope the girls aren't brainwashed yet.

 **Jane:** I vote for Felix. My reason is simple, it's because he's a weak link. Not that hard to comprehend

 **Betty:** Wesley is sooo hot! Felix is not. So I vote for Felix.

 **Tatiana:** I wanna vote with the party. And the majority of the party wants Felix gone.

 **Felix:** Desmond told me it will be fine, so I vote for Wesley and hope things go our way.

 **Wesley:** Jane approached me earlier, saying that the vote is going Felix' way. I have no qualms with this, but I had hoped to get to know him more. Tis a shame indeed.

 **Terrance:** I told myself that I would focus on voting out the popular people who think they can trample on us outcasts. Since Nataline's name isn't coming up, I'll settle for Wesley.

 **Nataline:** I heard Tatiana and Betty talk to each about the vote and apparently Felix came up. After much thought in the matter, I can safely say that my vote goes to him rather than Wesley. I can most likely ally with Wesley since we are of the same social status and not to mention that if what Desmon said is true, then Wesley's social game might just be my ticket to the merge.

 **~Eliminated~**

 **(24th place) Richard - The Maestro**

 **(23rd place) Delilah - The Serpent**

 **(22nd place) Felix - The Prankster**

* * *

Chris was back at the Drama Dome, smiling at the camera. "It looks like Felix took the fall for the Red Sith and is officially the first member eliminated on their side. Will the team do better or worse without him? Will Desmond pull it together and survive without his only ally? Will Jane's majority alliance stay true? And as for the Blue Ardonians, will Nelly and Arnold continue to be at each other's throats? Does Lucy have more deceitful acts up her sleeve? And for the Green Drell, will Phoebe become a better team player with Cassie there to guide her? What is up with Ivy and her constant spacing out? Find out next time on Total...Drama...Sci-Fi Showdown!"

* * *

 **Overall, I never really had a deep plot for Felix. He was meant to be a fodder character that would temporarily be a part of an alliance just so lines can be drawn in the Red Sith. And now that the lines are clear as day, I had no use for him anymore. There are far better characters in that team with a much more complex plot waiting for them in future chapters. And to be honest, I didn't like writing him that much. Too passive and doesn't stand out at all. XBloodLegendX**


	6. Chapter 6: Classic Awake-A-Thon

"Last time on Total Drama Sci-Fi Showdown..." Chris started as he wore his trademark smile. "The contestants went on a facility heist, aiming for the two data chips that are hidden in a room. And as an added twist, they had to travel with a temporary team filled with mixed members from each team." The hologram showed the overview of the yellow, orange, and purple team.

"The yellow team had a shaky truce, with Nelly conspiring with Terrance to shatter it by taking out Arnold as well as Terrance's other teammates." It showed Jane and Wesley take hits from the droids as they fought back.

"The orange team had Cyrus stirring up drama, rubbing Lucy and Nataline the wrong way and causing the Green Drell's numbers on their side vanish completely." Chris chuckled. "But this made Lucy wary of her friend Nataline and caused her to accidentally trigger a secret panel that eventually led to the secret room."

"Lastly, the purple team had a good understanding of their situation and were wiling to work together save for Shane who left them at the first chance he got." Chris said as the hologram showed the scene where Shane fought Nelly and Terrance. "But this went to the Green Drell's favor as the loner boy took out both Nelly and Terrance from the yellow team and saved Ivy and Phoebe."

The hologram then showed the two data chips as well as a full body image of Nicholas and Shane. "The fight for the data chips was fierce but in the end, Nicholas and Shane secured first and second place respectively for their teams." It then showed the elimination ceremony of the Red Sith. "The Red Sith lost that day, and even though Desmond tried hard to push the votes unto Wesley, it was his ally Felix who took the fall and went home in 22nd place."

Chris spreads out his arms in a dramatic fashion. "Has Wesley truly unknowingly manipulated the girls into not seeing him as a threat? What will happen to Lucy and Nataline's friendship now? Can Shane prove himself to be a useful asset in their team despite his lack of a social game? Which team will win today's challenge? Find out now on Total...Drama...Sci-Fi Showdown!" He finished with a flashing smile.

* * *

 **(Red Sith)**

 **~Confessional~**

 **Desmond:** Last night, Felix went home because the girls couldn't see the potential social game Wesley can have. Is it too late? Have I lost any power I can have on my team because some guy stared at the girls for ten seconds then they all swooned just like that?

 **Jane:** Now that Felix is gone, I'm hoping that the next challenges with go smoothly for us. If not, then perhaps it's time to vote off Desmond as well. He may be useful, but he's an odd one out of my alliance.

 **Betty:** I'm like super glad Wesley didn't go home last night. *sighs dreamily* I can't bear to not see his face every morning.

 **~End Confessional~**

Jane and Betty were outside of the outpost, sitting on some large rocks as they talked.

"So how important is your phone to you?" Jane asked as Betty was typing away at her phone.

"Very. Like, totes very important." Betty answered without looking up. "This is basically my life now."

"What?" Jane asked in disbelief. "You spend most of your time on a phone? Don't you hang out with friends?"

Betty showed Jane her phone which had the facebook app open. "I do, see?" She said proudly.

"In social media. I should have known." Jane shook her head.

"Hey, they're pretty cool people. Much cooler than the people I've met in real life..." Betty trailed off as she began typing again.

"But you can't trust the people on the internet. It's hard to tell if they're trustworthy or not." Jane pointed out.

"If they're not trustworthy, I unfriend and block them." Betty shrugged. "In real life, the people you don't like can get up to your face all the time and it's totes annoying."

"I learned to deal with people I don't like." Jane said as she cracked her knuckles.

"Yeah well I'm like not as strong as you are." Betty frowned.

"I can train you. At least self-defense." Jane offered.

"Really?" Betty exclaimed. Then she shook her head and slumped down. "Nah. Nevermind. Don't feel like it."

Jane sighed. "If you say so. It might come in handy sometime is all I'm saying.

Meanwhile, Desmond was strolling around the part where there are more trees. He was pacing back and forth when Terrance approached him.

"Hey there." The techie boy greeted. "Can we talk?"

"About what?" Desmond inquired as he stopped pacing and looked at him.

"I'm here with an alliance offer." Terrance said simply. "Sounds like you could use one."

"I thought about it already and it's no use." Desmond sighed. "Because the girls outnumber the guys, we're at a minority. It also doesn't help that they voted off Felix to keep-"

"Wesley." Terrance finished. "I do believe you when you said that he might be playing a strong social game. And yes, I believe that the girls are under his spell. The good thing here is that the guy himself doesn't know that, but sooner or later this will be a problem."

"That's why I wanted him out as early as possible." Desmond said as he crossed his arms. "The only thing we can do now is hope that we don't get last place again."

"Easier said than done." Terrance muttered.

Desmond patted his shoulder. "We'll be fine. Down but not out."

 **~Confessional~**

 **Terrance:** I know I have an alliance with Jane but it wouldn't hurt to expand my horizons. Desmond is the only other guy that isn't one of those popular guys so he might make a good ally.

 **~End Confessional~**

Wesley, Tatiana, and Nataline were all inside the outpost drinking tea and having small talk.

"So when he came up to me, BAM! Blasted his guts out!" Tatiana exclaimed while doing hand gestures of a shotgun.

"It seems you have a talent for video games." Wesley smiled. "I, for one, would like to try playing it sometime. However, time is not on my side."

"Why? Don't you have free time or anything?" Tatiana asked. "I mean, you're rich right? Don't you hire people to do work for you?"

"That has been my life in the past, yes." Wesley nodded. "Although, in three months time I will turn 18 and I will soon inherit my family's land and fortune. I must become responsible for the sake of our long lasting legacy." He said solemnly.

Nataline looked down and gripped her tea cup's handle tighter as she heard what Wesley said. She also began to sweat slightly as her breathing became a bit faster.

"Hey. Hey, Nataline. Hello?" Tatiana called to her. "Yo!"

"Huh? What?" Nataline looked up to see both of them looking at her with concerned faces. "Pardon?"

"I was gonna ask you what kind of video games you play." Tatiana tilted her head.

"Are you alright? You've grown pale." Wesley asked, concerned. "Are you not feeling well?" He reached out to feel her forehead and she blushed slightly at this.

"I'm fine. Truly, I am." She pulled back from Wesley's touch and drank her tea. "And as for your question, I do not play video games as well. I spend my time studying and learning various skills to better myself." She explained.

"You people need to take it easy once in a while!" Tatiana pouted as she looked at them worriedly. "Life will get boring if you don't play games."

"Such is the life we live, Tatiana." Nataline said with a sad smile.

 **~Confessional~**

 **Wesley:** It is high time I learn the family business. We own three global companies and my father wants me to run for a political position as a way to expand our influence. I have much to learn if I plan to uphold our family's legacy and fortune.

 **Nataline:** Tatiana doesn't understand the life of a noble and it's not her fault. To be honest even I'm surprised of how I'm living my life. No time for lengthy leisure or long breaks and I rarely socialize unless it's about learning new things that I would need in order to become worthy of carrying the Louise family name and fortune. *she then starts muttering lowly to herself* At least Wesley's parents care about him.

 **Tatiana:** I don't wanna live in a world where video games don't exist. *she grips her chocobo hat tightly* I should make it my mission to take those two in an arcade after the show. It's my side quest!

 **~End Confessional~**

* * *

 **(Blue Ardonians)**

Lucy was staring at the little fishes in the river when Jude approached her tentatively.

"Hey Lucy." Jude greeted nervously.

"Jude?" Lucy looked towards her ally. "Hello. Is there something you need?" She asked with a friendly smile.

"You..." Jude said in a daze as he stared at her smile.

"Excuse me?" Lucy asked as she inched closer. "I didn't hear that."

"Um, uh...You look good today. I mean- um, You looking at the fishes?" Jude chuckled nervously as he scratched his head. "This is embarrassing." He said under his breath.

"Yes. I like looking at them. Their colorful scales are so pretty." Lucy beamed. "How about you? Anything that interests you?"

"You..." Jude said again in a daze, then immediately caught himself. "I mean..um...I like looking at wild forest animals."

"Does it have something to do about hunting them?" Lucy inquired. "I mean I saw your makeshift bow from last time."

"Well I've never killed a wild animal before." Jude said. "Archery is a hobby of mine. And I always loved how majestic wild animals are. The deer, lions, jaguars, etc."

"I see." Lucy nodded. "I like marine life more. I like the mysteries hidden beneath the depths of the ocean, the elegance of sea creatures, and of course their beauty."

"Well then it's a good thing you're in the Blue Ardonians, huh?" Jude laughed.

Lucy giggled. "Yes, and it's all thanks to Nicholas and Nataline."

 **~Confessional~**

 **Lucy:** Jude is such a nice person to talk to. I'd love to be friends with him.

 **Jude:** Well at least the talk wasn't completely awkward. I want to be friendly to Lucy so people could see this and help me win her heart. I could use it since I've never really admitted my feelings to any of my crushes, but now things will change! Before this show ends, I'll definitely tell her how I feel!

 **~End Confessional~**

Sarah, Arnold, and Harvey were hanging out inside the outpost as usual. They were currently talking about Sarah's band and Arnold's soccer team.

"So I was like: 'We should form our own rock band. Every school has one.' And Marie was like: 'Sure thing. What should our band name be?' And it just so happened that we were in science class studying the human anatomy and skeletal system and boom, Pink Skulls."

"Well it is better than Pink Kidney or Pink Intestines." Harvey chuckled. "Those aren't cool."

"Ours is way better. We formed our soccer team after we watched the movie Bolt." Arnold said proudly.

"Your team was named after a dog?" Sarah held back laughter.

"So where did the 'Green' come from?" Harvey inquired.

"Our minds." Arnold said with a perverted grin.

"Ew." Sarah grimaced. "But nice story!" She exclaimed.

Nelly walked out of the girls' bedroom. She had a scowl on her face as she glared at Arnold.

"How barbaric can you be to name a soccer team based on a movie and your state of mind?" Nelly sneered. "Particularly the state of mind part. I hope you know what to tell the people in case they ever ask." And with that, she left the outpost and slammed the door behind her.

 **~Confessional~**

 **Arnold:** For the record, we tell people that the 'Green' comes from Green Lantern. You know, the whole willpower and everything. I'm not wrong since we do win some of our fights with sheer willpower. And who does Nelly think she is, judging our team like that? Seriously though, she's the first nerd I met that talks like that. She should go back to those nerd conventions or play her Dungeons and Dragons or whatever it is nerds do in their lives, not join Total Drama just to judge others and play a physical game which she clearly isn't good at.

 **Sarah:** I wanna win this thing because it will help out my band find better gigs and have a better practice area other than my garage. Shoot, I should have asked Arnold what he would spend the money on. But if I'm being honest, he's a pretty cool guy. He's athletic, values teamwork, and is very active and social. *blushes slightly*

 **Harvey:** I heard confessionals are cool and chill so I decided to make one. *he pauses*...Not that I have anything good to say.

 **~End Confessional~**

Nicholas and Nelly were currently going around the forest together as Nelly insisted she needed a break from Arnold and Sarah's rambling in the outpost.

"Is there any reason why we are travelling so far?" Nicholas inquired. "Arnold and Sarah are both out of our earshots. There is no reason for us to keep going deeper into the woods."

"Just stop asking questions." Nelly grumbled.

"I only asked one." He pointed out.

"Stop being a smartass too." She snapped back. "I just don't wanna deal with our team right now, okay? And out of everyone there, you're the only one with a good head on his shoulders other than me."

"And what about Jude and Lucy?" Nicholas asked. "Do they not have a good head on their shoulders too?"

"Well yeah." Nelly admitted. "But I just saw them talking to each other and I didn't think we should interrupt them so let's just walk around the forest a bit."

"Very well." Nicholas said. "What would you like to talk about?"

"Quantum physics?" Nelly shrugged.

"I'm afraid that topic is not my strong suit." Nicholas frowned ever so slightly. "Might I suggest a different topic?"

"Like what?" Nelly raised her eyebrow.

"What are your hobbies? Your favorite food, perhaps? How is school?" Nicholas listed.

"I like doing scientific experiments and reading comic books. My favorite food is cranberry pie. And I am the school's salutatorian and head of the science club." Nelly said all in one breath. "Your turn."

"I like reading detective novels and film noir. My favorite food is bangers and mash. I lead a good academic life in school." Nicholas stated.

"Not social life?" Nelly snickered. "I wouldn't be surprised actually."

"I tend to have a small circle of friends. However, I usually spend most of my time helping the police department catch criminals, so there's that." Nicholas answered.

"Wait you do have a social life!" Nelly gave an amused scoff. "You talk to criminals!"

Nicholas smiled lightly at this. "Yes they do make for good conversationalists. Better than you, I dare say." He gave a sidelong smirk.

Nelly looked taken aback but gave a wide grin. "Hey, you're capable of roasting! And here I thought you're nothing but a hard boiled detective."

"You learned new things everyday." Nicholas said as they both kept on walking deeper into the forest.

 **~Confessional~**

 **Nelly:** This guy is really something if he can be both serious and witty. But that's probably because the people in school are so...freaking...boring!

 **Nicholas:** When I first met Nelly, I knew that there is more to her than meets the eye. So far, she is proving me right. I do not mind walking with her around the forest. Hey words may sting and constantly rub you the wrong way but I think we can get past that.

 **~End Confessional~**

* * *

 **(Green Drell)**

Cassie and Phoebe were currently doing push ups outside of the outpost. The former seems to be going at a faster pace than the latter as they did it.

"20...21...22...23.." Cassie counted.

"11...12...13..." Phoebe counted, looking tired and sweaty already.

"..32..33...34...35!" Cassie stopped doing push ups as she jumped back up and wiped the sweat off her forehead. "Whew! That was a mighty fine workout. How ya holdin' up, Phoebe?"

"18...19...Ugh." Phoebe stopped and her arms fell flat beside her. "I can't e-even reach 20." She pouted. "How d-did you get so s-strong?"

"I work at my family's farm." Cassie said proudly. "We gon' work from morning till dusk." She stretched a bit and Phoebe could see her lean muscles flex. "I carry wood and do a little carpentry here and there. Even work out on the fields. My lil' sis also helps me out some."

"T-That's really cool." Phoebe said honestly. "I live in a m-mansion and I don't d-do much physical work in the house."

"Aw that's too bad. Everyone could use some exercise, y'know?" Cassie said.

"T-That's why I'll do m-my best to get as much e-exercise out here." Phoebe said as she stood up and dusted herself off. "I d-don't wanna be a burden to my t-team."

"Well said." A voice from the forest said.

"Eeek! W-who's there?" Phoebe asked fearfully as she hid behind Cassie.

"Do not be alarmed, doll. It is just us." Nicholas said as he and Nelly emerged from the woods.

"Yeah, and not like country girl over there can defend you from him. I heard about what happened back at the volcano last time." Nelly laughed.

"Be polite, Nelly. I find Cassie a worthy rival." Nicholas stated.

Cassie tipped her hat forward. "I ain't weak. I wanna see you fight him instead. Maybe you'll last two seconds tops."

Nelly twitched in anger. "Whatever. I don't have to explain myself to a country girl like you."

"W-what are you both d-doing here?" Phoebe asked meekly.

"We were walking around in the forest. It seems like we've gone deep enough to end up here." Nicholas explained. "We did not mean to intrude."

"Aw, it's alright." Cassie smiled.

"No, it's not." Shane said from behind her as he walked up to them. "He's here to gloat over his victory." He sneered.

"I assure you, I do not intend to do that." Nicholas said calmly. "We simply ended up here by accident. There are no ulterior motives involved."

"Yeah, freakshow. Go back to being edgy." Nelly scoffed.

"What!?" Shane growled as he stormed towards Nelly but Cassie held him back.

"Hey y'all need to be nice now." Cassie said sternly. "Shane, weren't you strolling around the forest?"

"I just finished." The boy grunted as he went back to the outpost.

 **~Confessional~**

 **Shane:** Look at Nicholas, showing his face here to gloat. I swear I'll go to their outpost and laugh in his face when I win a challenge!

 **Nelly:** That was a fun walk. I got to mess with a couple of Green Drell losers. *snickers*

 **Nicholas:** Nelly's cruel remarks and insults might put us in troubled waters. I need to tell her to tone it down.

 **Cassie:** Tensions are getting higher every time y'all. I gotta pick up the pace so they don't underestimate me. Phoebe is a good gal for wantin' to become stronger but it's gonna take a lot more than simple push ups to do that. Maybe I'll go jog around the forest a while. That'll keep me in shape.

 **Phoebe:** N-Nicholas, and Nelly a-are so intimidating. H-How can I ever compete a-against them?

 **~End Confessional~**

Cyrus and Marvin were in the boys' bedroom, having small talk. Although, the former seemed less interested.

"We're on the same team. We should at least get to know each other." Marvin pointed out, slightly frowning at the emo boy for not wanting to talk.

"Look, I get that you wanna be friendly or at least establish that we're good acquaintances but I'm not a good conversationalist." Cyrus said bluntly. "I care only about my own inspiration for my story and so far I got good material. So I need time for myself especially since I need to keep all this in my head."

"Because you don't have your notebook and pen with you?" Marvin tapped his chin in thought.

"Exactly. So please shut up." Cyrus commanded. "Or go outside and talk to the girls. I don't care."

 **~Confessional~**

 **Cyrus:** *is pondering* That was the shortest morning scene ever. I need to keep the ball rolling at least to lengthen it. Next time, I promise.

 **Marvin:** I thought that Cyrus would be a bit of a wildcard when it comes to votes and that's why I wanted to talk to him more to better understand how he feels about the team. But I guess you don't always get everything you want. So my only option left is to ally with Valerie and Cassie to ensure I'm not on the outs. I don't plan on leading an alliance or anything because I like seeing things from different perspectives.

 **~End Confessional~**

Ivy and Valerie were at the living room enjoying some raisin bread and coffee.

"This is really good." Valerie beamed.

"I am more interested in who baked this." Ivy stated distantly. "Is this really real?"

"Yeah of course! Chris said so." Valerie argued.

"I've learned not to believe him at most times." Ivy said. "But food is food, I suppose."

"Don't overthink it. Just enjoy it~" Valerie winked at her friend.

"I'm straight." Ivy told her.

"I know." Valerie chuckled lightly. "I was just messing with ya~"

Marvin left the boys' bedroom and sat down at a chair beside Valerie.

"Hello girls." Marvin greeted. Valerie inched closer to him.

"Hello handsome~" She greeted him back, rubbing his forearm as she said it.

"..." Ivy looked at the bread blankly. "Oh, right. Good morning." She came back to her senses and greeted Marvin. Both of them gave her a look. "Sorry. I spaced out again."

"Why do you always do that? I've been thinking about it since last night." Marvin asked her.

"Aw~ You think of Ivy at night?" Valerie cooed. "Alright, I can respect that. You got good taste, Marvin." She beamed and nudged him.

"It's not that." Marvin scratched his head as he looked away. Ivy just tilted her head as she looked on blankly.

"But he's right. You do space out a lot." Valerie pointed out to her friend. "Do you daydream often? Who do you think of?~" She teased.

"I just think of my manga and the story I'm writing back home." Ivy said to them. "I think of details to put and I guess it gets me thinking too much that I space out."

"But you do it even in the middle of challenges." Valerie ate a raisin bread.

"If it's at random intervals, it could be dangerous for your game." Marvin added.

Ivy looked down sadly. "I know. I'm really trying to play the game and help the team. But random inspiration hits me and I get easily distracted by it." She explained. "I promise I'll try to limit it as much as I can."

"You write stories and draw manga, though." Valerie beamed. "That's wayyy cooler than what Cyrus does." She snorted.

"Cyrus is an aspiring writer as well." Marvin said. "I think it just depends on someone's tastes."

"You know, I like men with soul patches. That's my taste~" Valerie flirted as she leaned closer to Marvin. He just smiled at her but looked oblivious to her advances.

 **~Confessional~**

 **Ivy:** They do have a point. The times I space out can make or break me in a challenge. But I can't help it if my brain decides to get hit with inspiration and muse.

 **Valerie:** Ivy is a really cool person but the team might vote her off if her spacing out will destroy us in a challenge next time. I hope it doesn't come to that. I know! I'll make an alliance! Yeah, and I'll include all my friends in it! There's Ivy, Phoebe, Cassie, and even Marvin if he wants to. This is genius! And sexy~

 **~End Confessional~**

* * *

Chris' hologram appeared on the tables of every team's outpost. "Alright everyone, I want you to gather outside the Green Drell's outpost. For the Red Sith and Blue Ardonians, there will be a portal that will take you there. I don't want you to waste your energy and time walking." He chuckled before the hologram flickered out and a portal appeared inside the outposts of both the Red Sith and Blue Ardonians in their color.

"Chris is being awfully nice today." Harvey noticed. "That's cool of him, you know."

"Is it?" Jude asked. "If I know Chris, something is up his sleeve."

"Well we should go inside anyway. It doesn't look like we have any choice." Lucy said as she began to walk towards it. Jude immediately went in front of her.

"Please, I need to see if it's safe." He said confidently. "If it's a trap, at least you won't get hurt." And with that, he walked through the portal first. Everyone else shrugged before following Jude inside.

Meanwhile, in the Red Sith outpost, everyone was inside as they stared at the gaping hole that will take them to the Green Drell's outpost.

"So...Who wants to go first?" Betty asked nervously. Tatiana stepped forward confidently as she pointed at the portal.

"I, Tatiana the Chocobo Slayer,shall conquer what lies beyond this portal. Onwards to the next dungeon!" She charged forth while screaming a battle cry. Everyone else made a face. Terrance and Betty laughed lightly though.

"Oh...kay?" Jane said uneasily. "Well then, let's go." The rest of them followed her inside.

* * *

Outside the Green Drell outpost, Chris was there and a long table filled with turkey sandwiches and glasses of milk is there in front of him. The two portals were there too and soon the Red Sith and Blue Ardonians made it out. The members of Green Drell were already outside waiting for them to show up.

"Great, we're all here now." Chris exclaimed. "Now you're probably wondering why I called you all out here."

"Obviously for a challenge." Cyrus deadpanned.

"Doesn't take two brain cells to know that." Nelly added.

"Nope. No challenge yet." Chris said. "For now, I just wanna treat you all to a turkey sandwich and a glass of milk."

"Ha! The day Chris is generous will be the day I die." Sarah gave an amused scoff.

Chris rolled his eyes. "Look, just eat your food already." He said, annoyed.

Everyone took their seats and ate their food except for Ivy. "I'm lactose intolerant." She frowned.

"Then too bad for you." Chris shrugged. "No food for you."

Ivy just watched everyone else eat their food.

"Yeah, that's what I'm talking about!" Arnold cheered. "I love turkey sandwiches!"

"You got that right. This is the best one I've eaten so far." Sarah agreed.

"I'm glad you all like it." Chris grinned. "You got an hour to rest before the next challenge you'll have." He walked away while snickering to himself.

"Next challenge?" Tatiana echoed. "This was part of the challenge?"

"I guess so." Lucy shrugged.

"So...What's up fellow dudes and dudettes?" Harvey tried to strike up conversation.

"Let's all play a game! Never Have I Ever!" Betty suggested.

"Sure." Marvin agreed.

"Meh. Why not?" Terrance said.

"This might be interesting. I'll participate." Nicholas nodded. Everyone else grunted in agreement or nodded except for Arnold, Phoebe, Lucy, Jane, and Cyrus.

"Don't feel like playing." Cyrus grunted.

"I d-don't know how to play so I w-want to skip this one." Phoebe responded.

"I don't play games like that." Arnold looked away but looked a bit flustered.

"I got bad memories of that game." Jane shuddered.

"It's okay. Everyone else, we start with five fingers." Betty said. Everyone followed and held up five fingers.

"I'll go first!" Tatiana exclaimed. "Never have I ever beaten Dark Souls!"

Terrance, Nelly, and Jude lowered one finger.

"What the heck? Seriously!?" Tatiana exclaimed in shock.

"It was easy." Jude shrugged.

"It was easy!?" Tatiana bellowed.

"I have never heard of such a game." Wesley frowned.

"I ain't got none of that back at the farm." Cassie added.

"If that's everyone then I'll go next~" Valerie beamed. "Never have I ever kissed someone of the same sex."

At first, nobody reduced a finger. But after a while, Nelly reduced one.

"Whoa. What?" Jude said from beside her.

"Are you lesbian?" Nicholas asked.

"Yes." Nelly stated with a glare. "Got a problem with that?" She glared at everyone. They shook their heads.

"Nah, it's cool." Harvey said.

"No homophobics here." Ivy said as well.

"Let's move on to the next question then. I'll go." Nicholas stated. "Never have I ever done anything illegal."

Shane sneered as he lowered his finger. After a while, Lucy lowered one as well. Jude's eyes widened as he saw this but Nicholas looked calm.

"What the heck did you do?" Cyrus asked Shane.

"I hijacked a car one time." Shane said like it was nothing.

"Oooh~ A bad boy." Valerie giggled.

"That's still not cool." Harvey pointed out. "As a person who loves cars, it makes me sad and angry."

"Relax. It didn't get damaged." Shane scoffed.

"Lucy, what did you do?" Nelly narrowed her eyes at the soft spoken girl. "I never pegged you as the criminal type."

"Um, I'm not really comfortable sharing it." Lucy muttered softly. "Sorry."

"It's alright." Jude said quickly. "No need to apologize." Nicholas looked at Lucy intently but soon shifted his gaze elsewhere.

"Alright then. I'll ask something next, guys!" Betty grinned. "Never have I ever done parkour."

Everyone except for Wesley, Nelly, Ivy, and Valerie all lowered one finger.

"It's pretty fun." Desmond shrugged.

"I learned that skill in order to catch criminals." Nicholas stated.

"Only barbarians do that." Nelly folded her arms and huffed.

"Or maybe you're just too weak to do it." Sarah scoffed.

"What the- Screw you!" Nelly snapped.

 **~Confessional~**

 **Nelly:** First Arnold, now Sarah. I freaking hate my team. *rolls eyes*

 **Jude:** I still can't believe Lucy did something illegal. But maybe it's just something as petty as stealing candy from a baby...right?

 **Lucy:** *her right eye is red* I stole candy from a baby. By that I mean I easily brought down a promising business through theft. Let's just say those items were quite...valuable.

 **Sarah:** Seriously, why is a weak person competing in this game? One of these days we're definitely gonna need to do parkour so if Nelly can't keep up then she should just shut it.

 **~End Confessional~**

"I'll go next." Sarah exclaimed. "Never have I ever went skinny dipping!"

No one lowered their finger.

"What? Really?" Sarah said, dumbfounded. She looked towards Valerie who gave her a face and shook her head vigorously. "I expected at least one or two of you."

"Guess we're all decent folks here." Cassie answered.

"What is skinny dipping?" Wesley asked.

"How innocent are you?" Jane asked the foreign man.

"Pardon me but I truly am not familiar with these terms." Wesley said sadly.

"I went skinny dipping once." Arnold spoke up. "It was a dare. But my answer doesn't matter." He chuckled.

"I like boys who take risks." Sarah said, impressed.

"Babe, with this body, it's a must." Arnold flexed a bit and Sarah giggled and rolled her eyes.

"Whatever." The rocker girl said.

"Get a room." Nelly groaned.

"I-I think it's cute." Phoebe smiled.

"Shut up." Nelly deadpanned.

"O-Okay." Phoebe frowned and slumped back into her seat.

"Hey, ya be nice to Phoebe now." Cassie warned. "She ain't done nothing wrong."

"Well maybe you should-" Nelly started but Chris appeared again and blared an airhorn.

"Attention contestants!" He grinned. "It's time for the second part of your challenge." He exclaimed.

"Already? But I haven't had my turn yet." Jude whined.

"You can continue afterwards." Chris waved him off. "Assuming you'll have the energy for it." He added with a snicker.

"What do ya mean?" Cassie asked.

"Your challenge now is to run a lap until you reach the Blue Ardonians' outpost. First person there gets a reward." Chris explained simply.

"That's it?" Terrance asked suspiciously. "We just got to run?"

"To the Blue Ardonians' outpost?" Jane added as she narrowed her eyes at Chris.

Marvin seemed to be deep in thought. "Why does this feel familiar?" He pondered out loud. Phoebe tilted her head as she heard him.

"F-Familiar?" She echoed.

"Well we can't just sit here." Cyrus grunted.

"Of course." Chris beamed. "I mean, who doesn't want a reward challenge?" He laughed.

"Wait, how does winning work here exactly?" Nataline asked Chris.

"Excited much?" Chris grinned. "There's still a third part of the challenge. That's why the reward is individual."

"I see." Nataline nodded. "Wait what? A third part?"

"Dude it's late in the afternoon." Harvey groaned. "This might take all night if there's a third part."

"I know." Chris said. "And I don't care." He held up his airhorn. "When I blare this horn, the race begins."

Everyone scrambled to their feet and got to their positions in a line marked by Chris. They all looked determined to get started as Chris held up the airhorn.

"On your mark, get set..." Chris said. Everyone leaned forward a bit. "...GO!" They all took off running. "Well, time to get going as well."He pressed something on a device attached to his wrist and his avatar flickered out from the world.

* * *

The contestants were seen all running through the woods, dodging trees and jumping over large roots and ducking under branches as they tried to make their way out of it and into the clearing ahead. Shane, Cassie, Jane, Desmond, Nicholas, Jude, and Arnold maintained a strong lead ahead of everyone else and were neck to neck. Marvin, Valerie, Cyrus, Tatiana, Wesley, Nataline, Lucy, Sarah, and Harvey were at the middle. Bringing up the rear are Phoebe, Ivy, Terrance, Betty, and Nelly.

"No one from the city can match me in a forest race." Jane smirked as she passed by Nicholas and Desmond. "This is nothing to me." She added.

"Ya got that right." Cassie called as she passed by Shane and Jude and ran up to Jane.

"You a country girl, right?" Jane raised an eyebrow.

"Sure am." Cassie tipped her hat forward. "And I see ya ain't no slouch either."

"I've been spending my past summers camping in forests and mountain climbing. Dashing through here is a walk in the park." Jane grinned. Her grin turned to shock when they both saw Arnold blitz past them.

 **~Confessional~**

 **Jane:** I can see that Cassie will be a worthy rival. She's from the countryside and country girls are no joke in physical challenges. I almost wish we were on the same team but I think it's better this way so that I can prove myself even more by outlasting her.

 **Arnold:** One time our coach took us to a forest and had us run laps around and within it. He said it would help train us betting in dribbling and awareness. Thanks coach! *he gives a thumbs up*

 **~End Confessional~**

Nataline ran up to Lucy and Harvey.

"Lucy? Can we talk?" The rich girl said to her friend.

"Sure." Lucy smiled at her as they ran alongside each other. "What is it?"

"It's about yesterday." Nataline sighed. "I shouldn't have let Cyrus get to my head. I got angry and left a bad impression."

"Hey it's okay. I'm over it now." Lucy assured her. "I was just really shocked to see that side of you but I swear I still consider you a friend." She stopped running a held out her arms for a hug.

Nataline stopped as well and accepted it. They embraced each other tightly as Lucy cried tears of joy.

"Thank you. I've been up all night feeling guilty about it." Nataline said with a sad smile.

"Aw. I'm sorry. I promise I'm not thinking any less of you." Lucy assured.

Harvey just awkwardly scratched his head as he passed by them, looking a bit flustered as well. He did not notice Lucy's evil smile as she hugged Nataline. He also did not notice the large root sticking out of the ground and so he tripped and fell on his face.

 **~Confessional~**

 **Nataline:** I'm glad that Lucy still values our friendship. I know I only met her when we teamed up at the start but I really want to stay friends with her even after the game. Oh and I haven't forgotten about Nicholas too. The three of us made a good team. We would have been four but _somebody_ had to betray us.

 **Lucy:** Nataline is such a good friend. Even though we only ever worked together at the beginning and at the last challenge, it still is nice to know that we can be friends despite being on different teams. *her right eye becomes red* I hope she reaches merge, so I not only have another vote on my side, but a scapegoat too. Ehehehe.

 **Harvey:** I want to admit something here. I like girl to girl action. Those two could be straight but still, a dude has his fantasies. I'm still chill about it.

 **~End Confessional~**

"Alright! Chocobo Rush!" Tatiana cheered as she charged forth. She passed by Wesley, Valerie, and Sarah who were all running at the same pace.

"Aw yeah! This chick's something else!" Sarah cheered after her with a huge grin. "Right, guys?"

"Yeah..." Valerie answered absent-mindedly as she was gazing up at Wesley with a dreamy expression on her face. "Hello, handsome." She said flirtatiously at Wesley.

Wesley noticed her staring and smiled in a friendly manner. "Ah, hello. You must be Valerie." He greeted.

"And you must be a dream come true~" Valerie said. Sarah rolled her eyes at this.

"I'm outta here." The rocker girl sped up and ran ahead of them.

"How are you this fine afternoon?" Wesley asked Valerie.

"Perfect now that you're here~" Valerie responded flirtatiously.

"I see." Wesley replied with a smile, not at all weirded out or fazed by her advances.

 **~Confessional~**

 **Valerie:** Oh My God! Wesley is such a beautiful man! Where has he been all my life!? I need to get him to like me. No not just that, I'll make him fall in love with me! I seriously cannot mess this up.

 **Wesley:** It is nice having small talk with the other competitors once in a while. I like to think that we still need to have fun in this game despite the end goal here.

 **Tatiana:** Did you see that? My Chocobo Rush will definitely guarantee me the win. I even passed Jude on the way too. *she smiles proudly*

 **Sarah:** I don't like cheesy flirting much. Not my jam but you can't help getting exposed it often. The people back at school flirt all the time it's maddening. I should probably make a song out of this. Now for the title...

 **~End Confessional~**

Cyrus and Marvin were chatting as they ran.

"Almost everyone seems to be chatting." Cyrus noted. "We should do a dialogue so we don't look like outcasts."

"Excuse me if this comes off as rude or insulting but aren't emo people outcasts?" Marvin asked.

"Well...I wouldn't say _outcasts_ per se." Cyrus tried to say. "Sure we don't follow the mainstream and dress differently but I'm pretty sure it's just a social norm that made us outcasts."

"But I heard once that it is society that determines who falls under the outcast category." Marvin pointed out.

Cyrus just grunted in response. "Whatever." He muttered.

Terrance was behind them, listening to their conversation. He adjusted his glasses as he glanced at both of them.

 **~Confessional~**

 **Terrance:** What Marvin says is true. Society does determine who are outcasts and who are not. That is why I have to do my best for those who stay outside of the circle. Maybe Cyrus might make a good ally someday. I'll have to consider that when we hit merge.

 **~End Confessional~**

Phoebe, Ivy, Nelly, and Betty were all running at a relatively similar pace.

"#LegDay" Betty snapped a groupie even though the others weren't aware.

"Why would you bring your phone out here?" Nelly scoffed.

"I always bring my phone around wherever I go." Betty said.

"What would happen if it would break?" Ivy asked worriedly. "It could get damaged out here."

"Nah. It respawns whenever I respawn for some reason." Betty assured her.

"B-But won't it d-distract you from the challenge?" Phoebe asked.

"I'm used to it." Betty exclaimed. "Besides, it's not like I'm screwing up challenges for my team anyway."

"That's still ridiculous." Nelly sneered. "Why do you even compete if you're not gonna give it a 100 percent of your effort?"

"Well that's none of your business." Betty huffed.

"I-If that's the way you want to play t-then we won't judge." Phoebe smiled up at Betty.

"Yeah, it's not a big deal. We are on different teams anyway." Ivy said as well.

 **~Confessional~**

 **Betty:** I don't see what the big deal is. I totes can't live without my phone so can they just, like, leave me alone? *rolls eyes*

 **Nelly:** Is it too much to ask to compete with people who are actually trying? Betty is too distracted with her phone and Phoebe's dress is too stuffy for her to run faster. I swear they aren't entitled to win this more than I am.

 **Ivy:** I actually am going slow on purpose. I want to protect Phoebe from people like Nelly and from the forest itself. I've given up on the reward since I'm pretty sure those in front won't back down easily. Might as well realize your own limits.

 **~End Confessional~**

They reached the end of the forest and are running across the large clearing. In the distance, they could see the river flow downwards.

"Almost there." Jane said as she sped up.

"Follow the river and the outpost should be right around the corner." Desmond said as he passed by Jane.

"You guys are still behind!" Arnold laughed from up front.

"Don't ya get cocky now." Cassie ran up beside the soccer boy, winked and tipped her hat forward before speeding up and passing by him.

Nicholas said nothing as he also passed by Arnold.

"Come on!" Arnold whined.

"Sup dude. I don't think we've ever talked." Jude remarked to Shane as they ran side by side.

"Don't talk to me." Shane glared as he went ahead of him.

Meanwhile, Harvey ran alongside Sarah.

"I live the smell of the river. Clean ones, that is." Harvey said. "It's easy to chill that way, you know."

"I hear you." Sarah nodded. "Sometimes being around Mother Nature helps me think of new songs."

"Nature and a rocker girl? Now that's something unusual." Harvey chuckled. "But it's still cool yo."

"Thanks. Some people look at me funny when I mention that." Sarah laughed.

"Hey they ain't cool people if they're like that. Uniqueness is key to a chill world, you know." Harvey smiled.

"I agree. Hey maybe I'll write a song about this season." Sarah said. "Yeah, that sounds pretty good when I think about it."

 **~Confessional~**

 **Sarah:** I'm the songwriter and lead singer of my band. Oh, and I'm the lead guitarist too. Yeah I got a lot of roles because we're only three people in the band. Jenny takes care of the drums and Marie backs me up in the vocals and plays the bass. We only got four songs in total but I swear we'll land a great gig and go big someday!

 **Harvey:** Of course I want to win but I also want to win with pleasant memories. It's not good to be so negative and win with bad memories of this season. I mean this is a once in a lifetime opportunity so I totally gotta make sure I have fun and just chill out.

 **Shane:** I hate socializing. Why can't people understand that? It's not rocket science. Maybe I should glare at people more often.

 **~End Confessional~**

Nelly and Betty had caught up with Terrance and began to converse as they made it out of the forest.

"I've been stuck at home ever since that biking accident." Terrance said to them. "Became an introvert and so technology frees me."

"Your parents must be overprotective of you." Nelly noted. "My parents aren't like that bu I chose to stick to the books and the indoors."

"I go shooting at a gun range sometimes and even practice using a bow." Terrance shrugged. "It's not Jude-level skill but I've done it enough to be decent at it. Those are probably the only physical activities I do nowadays."

"Ooohh." Betty said, impressed. "My dad is a soldier but isn't deployed right now. Oh wait, I think he is. What day is it again?" She checked her phone but then made a face.

"What is it?" Terrance asked.

"It says it's Sunday but I'm pretty sure it said Sunday yesterday too." Betty replied.

"Um, wasn't Sunday the day this season started?" Nelly pointed out. "I'm pretty sure I checked the calendar before we left and it clearly said it was Sunday that time."

"What the heck?" Terrance looked lost.

 **~Confessional~**

 **Terrance:** My theory is that Betty's phone was stuck in that date and time the moment we entered those pods and became avatars in this virtual world. But then it begs the question, how long have we been in here?

 **Nelly:** So I think that the timeline here in this world is different from the real one. And I believe that Chris totally messed with Betty's phone so that we wouldn't know how much time has passed. For all I know, only five minutes have passed in the real world. Or...maybe five years.

 **Betty:** I was totes so focused on taking pictures that I didn't notice that the date and time is wrong. Weird. I hope the pics are actually saved though. I don't wanna go back to the real world and find out that none of the pictures I took here made it out.

 **~End Confessional~**

The Blue Ardonians' outpost came into view. Chris was waiting for them by the finish line holding his airhorn.

"There they are now." Chris announced. "Who will claim the individual reward?"

Nicholas, Arnold, Jane, and Cassie were further ahead than the rest of them and were currently neck to neck, each vying to get a lead over the other. One of them managed to get their foot inside the finish line before the rest.

"Congratulations..." Chris started. "...Cassie!"

"Yeehaw!" Cassie cheered. "Te gané!"

"That was a good race." Jane said as she extended her hand. "A worthy opponent indeed."

"Ya did great too. Never had a good one like that in months." Cassie beamed as she shook her hand.

Arnold panted as he ran up to them. "Beaten by...a country girl. Good effort." He smiled sadly.

Cassie patted his shoulder. "Hey ya gave me a hard time too. Guess sports have benefits too." She laughed lightly.

"That was truly something." Nicholas gave a small smile. "I acknowledge my defeat as well."

"Cassie, here is your reward." Chris snapped his fingers and blue sparks flickered in and formed Cassie's suitcase and guitar case. The country girl immediately rushed to it and held the guitar case, unzipping it to reveal her old acoustic guitar.

"This is a mighty fine reward!" Cassie exclaimed.

The rest of the contestants got to the outpost to see Cassie's reward.

"What!? If I knew it was our stuff I would have tried even harder." Sarah pouted. "I want my guitar back."

"My knife..." Terrance sighed disappointingly.

"My soccer ball..." Arnold whined.

"My will to live..." Cyrus scoffed.

 **~Confessional~**

 **Cassie:** This is looking good for me, y'all. Now I can play some tunes for my team.

 **Sarah:** This sucks. I just have to hope that the next reward challenge will also be our stuff. Don't wanna get rusty on my awesome guitar skills.

 **Jane:** Cassie may have won this round, but I still have a chance to beat her in the last part of the challenge. I wonder what it is.

 **~End Confessional~**

The sun had set by the time everyone caught their breath and rested a bit after the race. Chris blared the airhorn to get everyone's attention.

"Alright contestants, are you ready for the last part of your challenge?" Chris asked with a huge grin. Harvey was about to speak up when Chris held out his palm. "I don't care about what you have to say. We're gonna have it anyway."

"I wonder..." Marvin thought out loud. "This really does look familiar."

"That's because we're doing a classic Total Drama challenge." Chris exclaimed. "The Awake-A-Thon!"

"Yes, that's right." Marvin's eyes widened. "It all makes sense now."

"Uh oh." Terrance facepalmed. "Didn't we eat a turkey sandwich and drank milk earlier?"

"Not to mention we did a long race to this outpost." Jude added. "Just like in season 1."

"That's correct!" Chris grinned. "The food and the race were all part of this last challenge, to put you and your team at a disadvantage."

"I haven't really watch Total Drama in the past." Ivy admitted. "What is the Awake-A-Thon?"

"I'm glad you asked, Ivy." Chris said. "The Awake-A-Thon is a challenge wherein you guys have to stay awake for as long as you can. The last person awake wins it for their team. No one must wake up their teammates once they are asleep and sleeping teammates that wake up after a while don't count anymore."

"Wait, only one person can win it for their team? Only one team can win?" Lucy asked.

"You must be confused so I'll elaborate on that." Chris said. "Tonight we'll have a double elimination." Collective gasps and murmurs were heard.

"D-Double elimination?" Phoebe echoed.

"Double elimination." Chris nodded. "Two teams will eliminate one of their own by the end of this day."

"Interesting." Terrance adjusted his glasses.

"I'm so excited." Betty exclaimed.

"If only I had my guitar, I could play a jam that'll keep us awake." Sarah groaned.

"Stay awake? Not my strong suit yo." Harvey nervously chuckled.

"I could really use a nap now." Ivy frowned.

"Tsk. Easy." Shane grunted as he folded his arms.

"Is everyone ready?" Chris asked. He snapped his fingers again and blue lights flickered in and formed a campfire and a fire to set the mood. Three long logs of wood circle around it and all the contestants took a seat by team. "Let the Awake-A-Thon begin!" He then realized he forgot to say something. "Oh yeah, no coffee for any of you."

 **~Confessional~**

 **Tatiana:** As a gamer, I stay up all night to play video games. I totally have the endurance needed to emerge victorious in this challenge. Activating Chocobo Booster!

 **Cyrus:** As a writer, I stay up all night thinking of the plot and creating characters for my novel. Too bad we got no coffee though. Damn.

 **Harvey:** As a guy who likes to chill, this challenge will suck for me yo.

 **Nataline:** I usually log in hours late at night in order to study more and to manage my family's check books and sales records. Even though I don't have those right now, I'll just imagine I'm doing it to keep me awake.

 **Phoebe:** I-It's scary at night. W-What if a sea monster attacks us!? What if a s-serial killer comes out in the open with a c-chainsaw and kills us all? I don't l-like staying outside at night. But then again, I rarely g-go out of my home and I never really got to g-go camping. M-Maybe this might be a good experience. Cassie and Ivy a-are here with me anyway.

 **~End Confessional~**

Phoebe looked beside her to see that both Ivy and Cassie had fallen asleep. Cassie held her guitar as she lightly snored and Ivy was staring ahead. She seemed to be sleeping with her eyes open.

 **~Confessional~**

 **Phoebe:** I spoke too soon. *she curls up in fear*

 **~End Confessional~**

"This is bs." Cyrus grunted. "We don't get coffee at all?"

"Nope. But I can tempt you to abandon the challenge." Chris smirked.

"How?" Nataline raised her eyebrow.

"You'll see." Chris chuckled.

"Yo Sarah, throw on some beats to keep us awake here." Harvey suggested as he gestured toward's Cassie's guitar.

"I don't know, Harvey." Sarah frowned. "I don't know much about rocking on an acoustic and I'm pretty sure that thing will break if I start jammin' there." She chuckled.

"Who wants to tell ghost stories?" Tatiana suggested.

"I have one!" Betty exclaimed. "It's about...um.." Her eyes started drooping and soon she fell asleep in her seat.

"Oh dear." Wesley remarked.

Soon, Lucy's eyes started to flutter. "I'm sorry. I can't stay up any...longer." She slept.

"Lucy, noooo.." Jude said softly but then yawned.

"Don't yawn or else-" Nelly tried to object but she yawned soon afterwards. Both she and Jude fell asleep.

"Wow, it's just been the first hour and people are dropping like flies." Chris noted. "Not bad."

Another hour passed. During that time, Marvin and Desmond had fallen asleep and Nataline was barely hanging on to consciousness. Chris stepped up to them and began to talk.

"I have a proposition for you all." He said as he snapped his fingers and two portals appeared beside him. One is green and the other is red in color. "I have sent in robots to your outposts to give a relaxing massage to those who will quit this challenge." He smirked.

Nataline immediately stood up. "Forgive me, everyone. But it's been a long day and I cannot go on anymore." She said with a sigh as she slowly made her way towards the red portal and back to the outpost.

"Yeah I'm out too. A massage sounds cool right about now." Harvey shrugged and stood up, heading towards his team's outpost for the massage.

"Any more takers?" Chris asked. "If you don't speak now, I'll cancel the bonus." Nobody spoke up. "Okay. Have it your way."

Another hour passed and so far Valerie slept during that time. Phoebe darted her eyes around fearfully.

"What are you anxious of now?" Cyrus asked her.

"Sea m-monsters. And serial k-killers." Phoebe answered.

"There are none of that here." Cyrus snapped. "Stop being so freaking unbearable and anxious, alright!?"

"Eeeek! S-Sorry." Phoebe cowered as she moved away from him in fear.

"Watch it." Jane glared at the emo boy. "One more and I'll put you to sleep myself." She raised her fist at Cyrus angrily and stood up.

"Is that a threat?" Cyrus stood up as well. "I can take you on."

"No you can't." Tatiana said with a yawn. "You lost to Nataline yesterday. What makes you think you have a chance against Jane?"

"Shut up, bird brain." Cyrus snapped at her.

"Hey that's rude and toxic." Tatiana frowned. "Jane, do something."

"Hey Chris, is violence allowed?" Jane asked the host with gritted teeth.

"Nope. You can trash talk but no physical injury allowed." Chris stated simply. "Even though that will make for good drama, I'd rather save it for when a physical challenge happens again."

"He's right." Terrance looked at Jane. "It's not worth it."

Jane took a deep breath and sat back down and so did Cyrus.

"Fine." Jane muttered. "Phoebe, do you want to sit with us?"

"O-okay." The doll faced girl said as she stood and sat over at the Red Sith's log and beside Jane.

Shane watched the whole thing unfold an snickered.

 **~Confessional~**

 **Shane:** Wait so Jane is better than Nataline in physical challenges? I never clashed with her so I wouldn't know. But maybe it's worth trying out one day.

 **Cyrus:** Why is Phoebe so freaking annoying? She stutters too much and she's so anxious about everything! We should seriously vote her off next chance we get.

 **Jane:** I wish Phoebe was placed on my team. That way, I could watch over her and prevent people like Cyrus to ever hurt her or talk to her like that. I may be hard on challenges but I got a soft spot for innocent people I guess.

 **~End Confessional~**

Wesley and Nicholas were currently conversing with one another.

"I remember your family now. You own a hotel empire, yes?" Nicholas asked the foreign man.

"That is correct." Wesley nodded. "I heard about your family as well. A valuable asset in the police force and I even heard that your family coordinate with Scotland Yard."

"Yes. We do handle some of their cases from time to time." Nicholas said. "I wonder how my sister is holding up without me."

"You have a sister?" Wesley asked.

"Her name is Jamie and she is aspiring to be a police officer. She's very talented and dedicated despite her shortcomings." Nicholas said with a small smile.

"I see." Wesley smiled. "I hope she does well in her work too."

"Sorry to interrupt." Chris' voice was heard to get everyone's attention. "But I have another proposition for you all."

"What is it this time?" Shane groaned.

"I've upgraded your beds into water beds." Chris stated simply. "Those who want in can go now."

Wesley shamefully stood up and Nicholas followed as well.

"I'm afraid this is my limit." Wesley said sadly. "Pardon me." He left for the red portal.

"I leave the rest to you two." Nicholas said to Sarah and Arnold. He then walked towards the Blue Ardonians' outpost.

After they left, Chris turned back to the others.

"Anyone else?" He asked. They shook their heads. "Suit yourself. No water beds for you then."

Another hour has passed. Jane was talking to Phoebe but felt herself getting even more sleepy.

"I don't know...how much longer...I can stay awake." Jane said drowsily.

"O-Oh no." Phoebe frowned.

"Why are you so sad? It just means we're closer to winning." Shane glared at Phoebe who cowered in response.

"Hey! What did I say...about.." Jane passed out before she could finish.

"Well, that's that." Terrance remarked as he looked at her.

"Aw yeah. Sarah, we can do this." Arnold said to the rocker girl.

"I know right." She yawned but shook her head to stay awake.

The soccer boy wrapped his arm around her and she smiled up at him.

"Tsk. Hormonal teenagers." Cyrus grunted as he rolled his eyes.

Sarah leaned her head on Arnold's shoulder but soon fell asleep afterwards.

"What the.." Arnold tried shaking her awake.

"Hey, no waking up the teammates." Chris warned. Arnold just sighed.

"Guess that backfired. Right, Shane?" Cyrus looked towards the lone boy but he was already asleep beside him. "Damn."

"Only five people left." Chris announced. "And I got no more rewards available for you all. So it's down to the last bit of energy." He laughed.

"I can do it." Tatiana chanted. "I can do it. For the party."

"I can't." Terrance said drowsily. "Goodnight." He passed out and rested his head on Tatiana's lap.

"No. Not you too." Tatiana said weakly. "Gotta hang on. Must not...make it a game over."

"Just go to sleep already." Cyrus said in a weak voice as well. "Save me the trouble."

"Phoebe's on your team too." Arnold pointed out.

"Screw her." Cyrus bluntly stated. "She's useless to the team. She'll be voted out soon."

The doll faced girl looked on the verge of tears.

 **~Confessional~**

 **Phoebe:** *is sobbing and her makeup is ruined*I can't believe h-he s-s-s-said that. W-What a h-h-horrible thing to say. I j-just...I just...*she continues to sob as she buries her face in her hands*

 **Tatiana:** Wow, Cyrus is mean and toxic to his own party. I'd never recruit him if he ever tries to join mine. Seriously, I've seen guys like him in online games everytime. CS Go, League of Legends, Overwatch, you name it. Toxic people are such a bane in the gaming community.

 **~End Confessional~**

"Dude, that was harsh." Arnold said as he shook his head. "Low blow."

"Yeah." Tatiana agreed. "Stop being so toxic." She glanced over at Phoebe who was sobbing while cowering. "You made her cry."

"So?" Cyrus scoffed. "She's such a crybaby."

Ivy suddenly woke up and looked at Cyrus. "Actually, this is the first time she ever cried." She slept again with her eyes open.

Arnold and Tatiana both looked at Cyrus and shook their heads in disappointment.

"I hope for your sake Phoebe's parents aren't watching this." Arnold sighed.

"Or yours either." Tatiana added.

"That's it. I'm freaking done." Cyrus stood up and headed for the green portal. "You guys suck. Defending a weak link over a real asset." He went through the portal.

"Asset he says." Arnold gave an amused scoff.

"Well it's the three of us left." Tatiana noted.

"Y-Yeah." Phoebe sniffed as she calmed down.

"May the best night person win." Arnold grinned.

"Actually..." Chris said as he took out a violin. "I do have one last thing to make you guys quit."

"God no." Arnold looked at Chris with a shocked expression.

"Anything but..." Tatiana started.

"Classical m-music! Yay!" Phoebe cheered.

"Quiet over there." Terrance opened one eye. "I was just getting comfy." He adjusted his head as he slept on Tatiana's lap. The gamer girl blushed but didn't object to him using her lap as a pillow.

"Here we go." Chris grinned as he played a slow and soft tune on the violin. It gave off a melody that made the remaining contestants feel more sleepy.

"Please stop." Arnold begged. "The horror."

"Just think of 8 bit music. Just think of 8 bit music." Tatiana chanted to herself as she tried to block out the classical music from her mind.

"T-Thanks for playing this, Chris." Phoebe said gratefully as she swayed slowly to the beat, not feeling drowsy at all.

"Really? You're not affected?" Chris said, shocked. He then continued playing and after a while, Arnold's eyes began to droop.

"Yeah...Good...night.." The soccer boy said as he slept and rested his head on the top of Sarah's head.

"Just think of..." Tatiana slumped down and slept as well.

Phoebe looked around and saw that everyone else is asleep now.

"I d-did it? I did it!" Phoebe exclaimed. "I w-won right?"

"That you did, Phoebe." Chris announced. "Everyone, wake up! Phoebe won the challenge and so the Green Drell is safe from elimination!" He blared his airhorn and everyone who slept in the logs immediately woke up. "Red Sith, Blue Ardonians, I'll see you back here for your elimination ceremony. You only have an hour to discuss it because it's getting really late now."

 **~Confessional~**

 **Desmond:** Elimination twice in a row? This doesn't look good.

 **Lucy:** We lost? This is terrible! *tears start to well up*

 **Terrance:** Yeah I'm not comfortable around girls much. But hey, when you're this exhausted, you can't be picky. Plus Tatiana's thighs aren't uncomfortable either. *shrugs*

 **~End Confessional~**

* * *

 **(Red Sith)**

Desmond met up with Nataline back at the outpost.

"We lost. So we're gonna have to vote someone off." Desmond said bitterly. "Now I don't even know how to vote at this point."

"Do you still want to push for Wesley to go?" Nataline asked. "Why not Betty? She's not good in challenges. Her phone distracts her after all."

"I guess we can lose her instead." Desmond shrugged. "I'll go tell the others the vote."

"Me too." They both went their separate ways.

Meanwhile, Jane, Betty, Tatiana, Terrance, and Wesley were hanging out by the campfire discussing the vote.

"We should lose either Nataline or Desmond." Jane said to them. "Who do you want to vote for?"

"Desmond should be okay." Terrance shrugged. "We may lose a challenge asset but I'm sure we can go around that."

"It's still sad that we gotta vote off our party members." Tatiana frowned.

"It's the sad truth of the game." Jane told the gamer girl. "What do you think, Betty?"

Betty was too distracted on her phone to notice them giving her a look.

"Betty!" Jane raised her voice.

"Yes?" Betty immediately darted her eyes around. "Oh hey. What were we talking about?"

"We are talking about the vote." Wesley explained. "We wanted to see if you are okay with voting for Desmond."

"And can you please focus here?" Jane said. "It wouldn't kill you to not use your phone for five minutes."

"Okay okay geez." Betty grumbled. "And sure, Desmond it is."

"Okay good. I'm out." Terrance stood and walked off. "I need some air."

 **~Confessional~**

 **Terrance:** Staying in the same space as three girls and a popular guy is quite an eyesore. But oh well. That's Total Drama for you.

 **Jane:** I'm almost tempted to vote for Betty actually. We can always have the majority if we succeed in making Wesley a permanent alliance member. Betty just doesn't focus on the game so much and it's getting annoying.

 **~End Confessional~**

Terrance went away from the campsite and looked up at the stars.

"It's great that we get to see stars even though they're all virtual." Someone said from behind him. He turned around and saw Tatiana there.

"I said I need some air. Time to myself." Terrance reminded her.

"Can't I stay?" Tatiana pouted. "I'll keep a distance if you want."

"Well-" Terrance was interrupted when Desmond emerged from the portal and jogged up to them.

"Hey guys. I want to tell you how I'm gonna vote." Desmond started. "I really think Betty needs to go. She gets distracted easily by her phone and she doesn't offer much in challenges."

"But why would we vote out of my party members?" Tatiana asked.

"Because we're having an elimination ceremony." Desmond deadpanned. "At least think about it." He jogged off.

"Hmm." Terrance looked down in thought.

Meanwhile, Nataline approached Jane by the campfire. Wesley and Betty had gone to check out the riverbed so the athletic girl was left alone.

"Good evening Jane." Nataline smiled as she sat down next to her.

"Hey." Jane greeted back. "Let me guess, you're gonna talk about the vote, huh?" She smirked at the other girl.

"Well it's no use hiding it now." Nataline smirked back. "Listen, I know that Betty is your friend and all, but I think it's time we vote her off."

"Does it have something to do with how distracted she is?" Jane sighed.

"Actually, yes." Nataline tilted her head. "So you know?"

"Yeah." Jane affirmed. "I'm actually considering it myself. Or maybe I should just stick with who they want to vote for."

"And who is that exactly?" Nataline asked.

"Desmond." Jane replied nonchalantly.

"But he's a good asset for us." Nataline said.

"I know. That's why I'm reconsidering." Jane rolled her eyes.

* * *

 **(Blue Ardonians)**

Nicholas, Jude, Nelly, and Lucy were all by the riverbed discussing the vote.

"It sucks that we lost." Jude sighed. "But we gotta do what we gotta do."

"Yeah." Lucy said sadly. "Who should it be now?"

"I'm leaning towards Harvey." Nicholas stated.

"Why him?" Nelly asked.

"Harvey is lax in nature. Logically, he is the least likely to be motivated to win." Nicholas explained. "Losing him may benefit us in the long run."

"Why can't we just get rid of Arnold?" Nelly groaned.

"Because Arnold is better than Harvey in physical challenges." Nicholas answered. "You shouldn't be biased, Nelly. It is still early in the game and so we need Arnold to help us win more challenges. It may be a sad truth to you but a truth nonetheless."

"That makes sense." The nerd grumbled. "Fine. Harvey it is."

"Then it's settled then." Jude clasped his hands together. "You okay with this, Lucy?"

The soft spoken girl was staring blankly at the river.

"I'll take that as a yes." Jude scratched the back of his head. Nicholas narrowed his eyes at Lucy but said nothing.

 **~Confessional~**

 **Nicholas:** Something is off about Lucy. I do not know what it is, but there is this feeling of unease I have whenever I'm with her. It wasn't obvious when we first worked together to find an outpost but now it's nagging at me.

 **Lucy:** *her right eye is red* I don't think I have to intervene now. We have the majority vote after all. Nothing can go wrong. Ehehehe.

 **~End Confessional~**

Sarah, Arnold, and Harvey were sitting by the campfire.

"Should we still vote for Nelly?" Arnold asked the other two.

"But we need more votes to make sure this works." Harvey pointed out.

"I got this!" Sarah exclaimed. "I can get the votes to go our way."

"You can?" Harvey tilted his head. "How?"

"A certain someone owes me from last time so I can get her to repay me by voting off Nelly." Sarah explained.

"Sounds genius, babe." Arnold grinned. He then realized what he said and his eyes widened. "I mean, Sarah."

Sarah just giggled as she playfully smacked Arnold's arm. "Oh you." She blushed.

Arnold scratched his head in embarrassment. Harvey just chuckled.

 **~Confessional~**

 **Sarah:** I hope Lucy agrees to vote for Nelly with me. I mean I voted for Delilah last time so it's only fair that she follow how I want to vote now, right? Give and take, they say.

 **Arnold:** I can't believe I just said 'babe' to her. *blushes* Well she wasn't angry and was even blushing too, or maybe that was the fire just reflecting on her cheeks! Argh this is so confusing yet so cool!

 **Harvey:** I actually sense that these two might become a thing. It's cool, but I hope I don't become a third wheel. That's not cool.

 **~End Confessional~**

* * *

 **(Elimination Ceremony)**

Everyone gathered at the same campsite after the hour was up and Chris stood there with twelve space food containers.

"Okay, you know how this works. You receive a container, you're fine. If you don't, you get beamed outta here." Chris said. "We'll do the Blue Ardonians first since they were technically in last place."

"Sarah."

"Nicholas."

"Lucy."

"Jude."

"Arnold."

This left Nelly and Harvey at the bottom two. The former just raised her eyebrow and Harvey looked surprised.

"Really? Bottom two again?" Nelly scoffed. "You people never learn."

"I don't understand." Harvey said nervously. "This is not cool man."

"Well, too bad. You're in the bottom two." Chris shrugged. "And the final container goes to...

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

..."Nelly!"

"Well duh." The nerd caught her container.

"What?" Harvey was in shock. Both Sarah and Arnold looked confused too.

"Harvey, you have received the most votes." Chris announced. "Any last words?"

"Well..." He began. "I just want to say good luck to my team and don't forget to make some happy memories and don't forget to chill once in a while." He smiled sadly.

"Dude, things won't be the same without you." Arnold said sadly.

"Well that's the game for you." Harvey gave a weak chuckle.

"Guess that's it." Chris shrugged. "Harvey, you finished the game in 21st place." A beam of light shone down on the chill guy and he got enveloped in it. After it disappeared, so did the boy. "Next we have the Red Sith next." He held up a space food container and began tossing it at the members.

"Wesley."

"Jane."

"Nataline."

"Terrance."

"Tatiana."

This left Desmond and Betty in the bottom two.

"Wait what?" Betty said as she pocketed her phone. "I'm in the bottom two? People voted for me!?"

"I'm as surprised as you are." Desmond said. "But then it isn't completely impossible."

"The final container goes to..."

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

..."Desmond!"

Desmond accepted the container with a smile. Betty's mouth was agape as she glanced at all her teammates. Jane rubbed her arm, Terrance adjusted his glasses, Tatiana and Wesley looked at her with sad and confused faces, and Nataline avoided eye contact with her.

"I see..." Betty said softly. "It's okay. Really." She tried to sound optimistic but her voice shook.

"Any last words before you leave this game?" Chris asked the chubby girl.

"Good luck to everyone else of course!" Betty exclaimed. Tatiana and Wesley smiled at this. "I made a lot of good memories and even took really good pictures. I'll treasure my time here forever."

"I'm gonna miss you!" Tatiana called out.

"And I as well." Wesley nodded.

"Good to see you're leaving on a positive note." Chris said. He looked at the camera and gave a wtf face before turning back to her. "Betty, you have finished this game at 20th place." A beam of light shone down on Betty and took her away from the virtual world.

"Everyone else can head back to bed now. It's been a long day." Chris chuckled. Everyone stood up and went to the portals except for the Blue Ardonians who directly went to their outposts.

 **~Votes~**

 **Nicholas:** My vote goes to Harvey. It will help us in the long run, logically speaking.

 **Jude:** Well the alliance agreed to vote for Harvey so Harvey it is. Sorry man.

 **Arnold:** Nelly has to go. I hope Sarah pulls through for us.

 **Harvey:** I vote for Nelly. She really needs to chill and relax yo.

 **Nelly:** Well I guess we can vote out Arnold another time. So I vote for Harvey to freaking leave!

 **Sarah:** I already talked to Lucy and she said yes. Nelly is doomed now.

 **Lucy:** *her right eye is red* Sarah told me that apparently I owe her and that I can repay it by voting off Nelly. Now when did I ever tell her that I owe her anything? Ehehe, sorry Sarah, but you have no hold over me. It's the other way around, and because of that I vote for Harvey.

 **~Votes~**

 **Desmond:** Betty is too distracted with her phone to even play this game properly. I vote for her.

 **Jane:** I'm sorry Betty. But I'm afraid you are the weak link of this team. Tatiana and Terrance will understand.

 **Betty:** Bye bye Desmond! It was nice knowing you. At least I have some pictures of you here that I can treasure as memories.

 **Tatiana:** The party within the party says that Desmond should go and so I vote for him. I should give props to Desmond for trying to turn my vote around, but it won't work on Tatiana the Chocobo Slayer!

 **Nataline:** I vote for Betty. This is for the best as our team needs to be at their best at all times. How can she give her best when she is easily distracted?

 **Wesley:** I should go with what Jane said and vote for Desmond. I may consider him a friend but I believe I can trust Jane's judgement.

 **Terrance:** Desmond or Betty? On one hand, Desmond is strong in challenges and a potential ally for me. Betty, on the other hand, isn't strong in challenges and she's a girl so I'm not a hundred percent comfortable with being around her. Plus her addiction to her phone reminds me of those popular girls at school. So I vote for Betty.

 **~Eliminated~**

 **(24th place) Richard - The Maestro**

 **(23rd place) Delilah - The Serpent**

 **(22nd place) Felix - The Prankster**

 **(21st place) Harvey - The Chill Guy**

 **(20th place) Betty - The Phone Addict**

* * *

Chris was back at the Drama Dome, grinning at the camera. "Both Harvey and Betty were the victims of today's double elimination, putting both Red Sith and Blue Ardonians with one less member to have by their side. How will this change team dynamics? Will Tatiana get over her friend's elimination? Is Desmond slowly gaining power? What will Sarah think now that she realized that Lucy didn't vote the way she wanted her to? And will Phoebe still try to impress Cyrus after what he said about her? Find out next time on Total...Drama...Sci-Fi Showdown!"

* * *

 **Harvey was a character that was meant to play safe and cruise on by as chaos surrounded him. His friendship with Sarah and Arnold was good after a while, but became stale afterwards. It was better to cut him off here where he could simply put his trust on the both of them. He was a nice character but he didn't leave such a big impression on the overall cast anyway.**

 **Betty leaving early was definitely planned from the beginning. Like Felix, she was meant to be a stepping stone for the Red Sith, giving the rest of the team the spotlight they need. She didn't have a long term plot so I'm glad she was finally eliminated. Overall, she was fun to write but not one of my proudest cast members.**

 **You can go ahead and leave a review to tell me what you think of the cast now and how you think things will go for them. Thank you for reading this fanfic and I'll be sure to update as efficiently as I can. xBloodLegendX**


	7. Chapter 7: Sci-Fi Robots

**Okay so I figured that I should at least put in a theme song in here so it would be more appealing. Sorry that it took so many chapters for it to be had but hey, here it is.**

* * *

"Last time on Total Drama Sci-Fi Showdown..." Chris started. "We did the classic Awake-a-Thon in the default forest setting in the virtual world. Everyone had to eat turkey sandwiches and drink milk, run from the Green Drell outpost to the Blue Ardonian outpost, and then gather around a campfire to try and stay awake. Many temptations forced them out of the challenge, but the rest held on with grit and determination. It came down to Arnold, Tatiana, and Pheobe, and good old classical music determined Phoebe to be the victor that night. It was a special double elimination challenge, and with Green Drell safe, the Red Sith and Blue Ardonians were up on the chopping block."

The hologram beside him showed the portraits of Harvey and Nelly. "Jude's alliance got together once again and discussed the vote to which Nicholas suggested that they vote out Harvey for morale reasons. On the other hand, Harvey's alliance decided to try and vote out Nelly once again with Sarah being the one to get their fourth vote. She went to go tell Lucy that she owes her for voting for Delilah last time and that she wants her vote to be Nelly tonight but as it turns out, the soft spoken mastermind decided to stick with voting for Harvey, sending the chill guy home."

The hologram shifted to show the portraits of Desmond and Betty. "The Red Sith also had divided votes. Jane's alliance plotted to vote out Desmond for simply being a non alliance member while Desmond and Nataline tried to sway them to vote for Betty instead. In the end, the phone addict bit the dust right after Harvey, which brings us down to 19 contestants left."

Chris flashed his signature smile as he spread out his arms. "What will happen to Jane's majority alliance now that Betty has gone home? Will Terrance ever get his team to vote out the popular ones? What will Sarah and Arnold do now that they are in the true minority now? What will Phoebe do now that she has heard what Cyrus thinks of her? Find out right now on Total...Drama...Sci-Fi Showdown!"

* * *

 **(Theme Song)**

The camera pans out to an aerial view of the forest then quickly zooms in down to a small area.

 _ **Dear Mom and Dad, I'm doing fine**_

It zooms into the thickest part of the forest where it follows Jane and Cassie racing each other.

 _ **You guys are on my mind**_

Jane got out of the clearing first and cheered. Waiting for them there was Desmond with a stopwatch.

 _ **You asked me what I wanted to be**_

Over in another part of the clearing, Richard was reading his music sheets as he went over to sit on a log.

 _ **And now I think the answer is plain to see**_

Felix slipped in a whoopee cushion just before Richard sat on the log which then made a farting sound. Betty, who was behind him, laughed as well.

 _ **I wanna be famous**_

The camera then shows Tatiana riding a mechanical chocobo and almost bumped into an oblivious Ivy.

 _ **I wanna live close to the sun**_

It then pans out to show Phoebe and Nataline having a tea party along with some porcelain dolls. As Nataline picked up her cup and brought it to her face to drink, a blaster shot destroyed it and the contents spilled on her face. She angrily turned around to see a smirking Terrance with a blaster gun in hand.

 _ **Go pack your bags, 'cause I've already won**_

It then shows Nicholas and Shane locked in a lightsaber duel. The latter got disarmed and the former smiled as he pointed his weapon at his neck.

 _ **Everything to prove, nothing in my way,**_

Lucy watched this from a distance with an evil smile and her right eye being red, then became completely normal when Jude approached her and gave her chocolates and flowers.

 _ **I'll get there one day.**_

Lucy was about to say something when Tatiana crashed into Jude with her chocobo.

 _ **'Cause I wanna be famous,**_

The camera then shows Nelly working on a Bioshock based Security Bot while Marvin watches on, intrigued.

 _ **Na na na na na na na na na na na na na na na**_

Harvey is seen eating an apple in peace when Delilah approached him and tried to flirt.

 _ **I wanna be, I wanna be, I wanna be famous**_

Valerie saw this and sighed while shaking her head in disappointment. Cyrus was beside her, taking down notes while nodding in approval.

 _ **I wanna be, I wanna be, I wanna be famous**_

Wesley passed by Valerie and Cyrus, and the girl can't help but swoon into the rich boy's arms as she winked. Cyrus rolled his eyes and headed back to the campsite.

 _ ***whistle***_

The entire cast can now be seen gathered around the campfire, all facing the camera and whistling. Sarah and Arnold were in the middle, looking at each other lovingly when Tatiana came charging by on her chocobo and startled them both. A large hologram flickered above them and the words 'Total Drama Sci-Fi Showdown' appeared, flashing in neon colors of red, blue, and green.

* * *

 **(Green Drell)**

Shane was strolling the woods alone. He played with a bitten apple, looking left and right as he enjoyed the silence of nature. He heard some sounds in the distance and followed it out of curiosity. He then saw Phoebe doing pulls up on a thick but low branch hanging from a tree.

"C-Come on, Phoebe. Y-You can do it." The doll faced girl struggled to lift herself up over the branch. Shane leaned against a tree as he watched her, eating his apple in the process.

"What are you doing?" He asked with a mouth full of apple.

"Eek!" Phoebe immediately let go of the branch and fell on her bottom. "Owwww." She rubbed her sore bottom as she turned her head to look at Shane. "W-What are you doing here?"

"I asked you first." Shane glared at Phoebe and she recoiled back in fear.

"I-I was only..." Phoebe looked away in embarrassment. "..trying to exercise."

"Why?" Shane bit down on his apple and chewed. "Do you really think you'll be of much help in physical challenges?"

"I w-want to." Phoebe said with slight conviction.

"Leave that to me." Shane said. "I can handle the other team's physical threats you know. The country girl isn't half bad either."

"B-But I want to be more useful t-to the team!" Phoebe suddenly shouted. She realized this and covered her mouth immediately.

Shane narrowed his eyes at her. "When did you suddenly become so determined?" He turned away and tossed his apple aside. "It doesn't matter. You'll never be as good as I am in challenges. You might as well give up on it." He left her and didn't bother to wait for her response.

"B-But I..." Phoebe tried to say but Shane was already out of earshot.

 **~Confessional~**

 **Shane:** I don't know where that determination came from, but it's useless for her to try. She is frail and weak, too innocent and scared to even kill a fly. She'll realize how useless her efforts are when we vote her out soon.

 **Phoebe:** After w-what Cyrus said l-last night, I decided to t-train harder. Maybe if he sees t-that I became better in challenges, he m-might change his opinion of me. I want to s-show him that I can be useful too.

 **~End Confessional~**

Cassie is currently eating pudding with Marvin inside the outpost.

"This pudding is mighty fine I'll say." Cassie said happily as she ate.

"I agree." Marvin nodded. "We still have Caesar salad here and some orange juice. I'm pretty sure Shane took the last apple."

"It's a good thing everyone ate one garlic bread before they went to do their own thing." Cassie said. "We need to stay fit in order to keep winning challenges."

"But only you got to win that reward challenge." Marvin pointed. "Not to mention you have yet to use it."

"Oh yeah." Cassie realized. "Aw it's because of the game. I can't focus on playing my guitar if I have the game to worry about."

"Well it's still nice to unwind when time allows it." Marvin said to her. "If you don't relax, you'll end up like Cyrus." He added with a side smile.

"Speaking of that guy, Phoebe told me what happened last night. I need to go talk to him." Cassie finished her pudding and stood up. "He ain't gonna mess with Phoebe anymore when I'm done with him."

"I'll go with you." Marvin stated as he stood up as well. "What he did was uncalled for indeed. Let's see if he's outside."

 **~Confessional~**

 **Cassie:** Phoebe is such an innocent and sweet girl so I don't know what Cyrus' problem is. I oughta talk to him about this. And if push comes to shove, then we can just vote him out. I hate people who talk bad about our teammates.

 **Marvin:** I want to understand Cyrus, I really do. But if he really said all that to Phoebe last night then I don't think I can stand to be around him any longer. The next time we have to vote, I'll consider writing his name down. I really like Phoebe and she doesn't deserve this treatment from him.

 **~End Confessional~**

Cyrus is outside of the outpost along with Valerie and Ivy. Cassie and Marvin walked outside to see Cyrus yelling and glaring at Valerie.

"She's useless to us! We should just vote her out the next chance we get!" Cyrus shouted to the flirt.

"Hey, just because she's way more appealing than you doesn't mean you can talk bad about her like that." Valerie scoffed. She saw Cassie and Marvin approach. "Finally! Help me knock some sense into this guy."

"How about I knock you out instead?" Cyrus raised his fist at Valerie but Cassie stepped in between them.

"Hey now, no need for that." Cassie said sternly at Cyrus.

"Back off, ranch girl." Cyrus glared at her. "Just because you're so strong doesn't mean you can tell me what to do."

"That still does not excuse your actions against Phoebe." Ivy said distantly.

"What happened, man? You seem on edge lately." Marvin noted.

"He's edgy, I'm telling you." Valerie gave an amused scoff.

"I'm going to find Phoebe. I think I saw her go in the forest earlier and yet she hasn't come back." Ivy declared as she left the scene.

"You people just don't get it. Phoebe is useless in challenges and will continue to be." Cyrus said.

"She's trying to improve." Cassie stated. "I'm helping her get better."

"You should stop then. It's not gonna work." Cyrus rolled his eyes.

"Is that what ya tell yourself everyday so ya don't do any exercise?" Cassie countered.

"Not to mention you do need some fashion advice." Valerie said as well.

"Last time you said you like emo boys." Cyrus pointed out to her.

"Betty showed me pics of emo boys yesterday. They dress better than you." Valerie shrugged. "And I got turned off by your attitude. I like beautiful people, but people with beautiful personalities are a plus in my book."

"Whatever. I'm out of here." Cyrus spread out his arm in exasperation as he left as well.

"Wait for me." Marvin tried to follow him but the emo boy turned around and glared at him.

"No." Was all Cyrus said before walking off again. Marvin scratched his head and sighed as Cassie patted him on the shoulder.

 **~Confessional~**

 **Valerie:** I grew up in a community where there are a LOT of beautiful people. Even in school I see some pretty and handsome faces. But here's the thing, I see most people have such terrible personalities despite their good looks. My parents told me that no matter how good looking you are, having a good heart will get you far in life. That's why people with such beautiful personalities turns me on too. I guess I have a thing for beauty, huh? *she winks*

 **Cyrus:** Screw them all. They see Phoebe as an innocent and pretty girl and immediately rush in to protect her honor. Nobody ever tells me how good my stories are. Well that's probably because I don't have my notebook with me but that's not the point! I hate it when people gang up on me for such petty reasons like that. I know I'm right and maybe the next challenge will prove it.

 **~End Confessional~**

* * *

 **(Red Sith)**

Nataline was outside picking some flowers and plucking petals when Terrance came up from behind her, playing with his EMP grenade.

"If you keep doing that, we're gonna run out of flowers soon." Terrance remarked.

"I can always vote you out so you wouldn't have to see it happen." Nataline countered back calmly. "And are you toying with that piece of metal again?"

"It's not just a 'piece of metal.' It's the product of science and technology." Terrance insisted. "Maybe I should throw this right at your face to prove my point."

"But if you do that, you'll lose your only toy." Nataline said innocently.

"Right back at you. What will you do when you run out of flowers to kill?" Terrance smirked. "Why don't you go enjoy some tea and those little sandwiches you rich people eat with Wesley?"

"Because Chris did not give us a supply of tea. Last place and all." Nataline retorted. "And what about you? Why come here to bother me when can go hang out with the common people like Tatiana or Jane?"

"None of your business." Terrance snapped back.

"What? Can't talk to girls?" Nataline asked. "Then go get comfy with Desmond, I don't care."

"You know what, maybe I will just hang out with Jane and Tatiana." Terrance said as he turned and left.

"Betty went home last night. I wonder how organized your group will be now." Nataline said condescendingly. Terrance adjusted his glasses and continued walking.

 **~Confessional~**

 **Nataline:** Another benefit to voting out Betty is that Terrance will be even more screwed without someone else there to ensure his safety. I just have to stick with Desmond for strategy, and maybe I'll try to talk Wesley into joining us. I'm sure Desmond wouldn't mind since our team dwindles with each elimination our team suffers.

 **Terrance:** I see that Nataline is as arrogant and high and mighty as ever. *he adjusts his glasses* Well who cares about her? Who cares if she takes the spotlight at every single challenge?...Hey wait! That's it! I'll provoke her during challenges which will make her double her efforts just to spite me, and the team will see her as too much of a threat to take to the merge.

 **~End Confessional~**

Wesley is currently by the entrance to the forest giving an acorn to a squirrel. Desmond approached just as the squirrel scurried away.

"Hey Wesley." Desmond greeted. Wesley turned around to face his teammate.

"Good morning, Desmond." Wesley said.

"Are you an animal lover?" Desmond asked. "Seems like the little creatures here like you."

"Yes." Wesley nodded. "I make the most of my time outdoors whenever I can. I do not always have the luxury of leaving my mansion, therefore every moment I spend outdoors is like freedom from the binds of my family legacy."

"I see. Well I have another question." Desmond folded his arms. "Why do you compete? You're already rich, right? What would you need the money for?"

"I am not competing for the money." Wesley shook his head. "I play for the exposure."

"The exposure?" Desmond asked.

"Total Drama is known to have such off the charts ratings. My family thought that signing me up would be beneficial for the Highsmith name."

"So you're here for free advertising?" Desmond gave an amused smirk. "Some people are here because they need the money for something and you just want the exposure you'll get?"

"We all have varying reasons why we compete." Wesley said. "All we can do is try our best to win it all." He smiled.

"You're awfully positive for someone who has experienced being in the bottom two." Desmond pointed out.

"I do not want my last thoughts of the game to be negative ones." Wesley stated. "Should I ever lose, I want to think that I won. I made good memories and good friends here and that is fulfilling in itself."

"I see." Desmond said softly. Another squirrel came by and Wesley crouched down to give it an acorn as well. Desmond narrowed his eyes at him.

 **~Confessional~**

 **Desmond:** I know Wesley means well, but I cannot allow him to continue. I vote people out based on how much of a threat they are, and Wesley's social game plus his charm can take him to the merge or even until the final four. Betty's elimination showed that the girls are not completely brainwashed by him and I have Nataline to prove that. Although I can't trust her either since not only is she also rich, but she's a challenge threat in most situations. I have to find a way to eliminate her too, but how?

 **Wesley:** I do hope I make the most of this experience. I truly want to make good memories here, and to be honest I forgot that I came here for the exposure. I suppose now I share the same drive to win as everyone else. I promise to do my best of course. It is unfortunate that my friend could not make it here with me, but perhaps he'll have better luck next season.

 **~End Confessional~**

Jane was currently enjoying her breakfast of hot choco and a muffin when Tatiana came outside the girls' bedroom and stalked towards her with an angry face. She wore nothing but a bathing towel wrapped around her body and hair.

"What was that last night!? Why was Betty eliminated?" The gamer girl demanded. "I know how to do math you know. Someone from our alliance changed their vote and I'm a hundred percent sure it wasn't me or Wesley." She glared at Jane and leaned forward towards her, their faces only inches apart and their bodies almost touching.

"Um..." Jane began. She shifted uncomfortably in her seat and resisted the urge to look down. With a gulp, she began talking. "I voted her out because her phone distracted her. It will become a hindrance to the team- to the party."

"But she was our friend!" Tatiana insisted. "Friendship is important too!"

"I know that. But I also want to win. We all do." Jane said softly. "And hey, Terrance voted for her too. Why don't you go demand for his reason?"

"What if he just turns away? He isn't really big on socializing." Tatiana frowned as she leaned even closer and making Jane lean backwards and grabbing her shoulders to avoid her. "Help me talk to him."

"I'm sure YOU wouldn't have a problem with that." Jane stole a downwards glance and gave a light chuckle. Suddenly, the door to the outpost opened and Terrance walked in.

"Hey guys so-" He started when he saw the position of both Jane and Tatiana. "Am I interrupting something?"

Tatiana got up and rushed towards Terrance. She slammed the door behind him and pinned him up against it, pressing her body against him and glaring up at his face.

"Why did you vote for Betty? Tell me!" She said angrily.

"W-What the..." Terrance looked shocked by what just happened. Like Jane, he tried to keep his gaze on Tatiana's face. "Calm down, will you?" Jane had a blush on her face as she witnessed the position they were in now.

"No! I won't calm down until you tell me!" Tatiana said as she didn't budge despite his struggles. "I thought we were a party."

"You're a gamer, aren't you?" Terrance said while narrowing his eyes at her. "Surely you know that in order to make a strong party, you need to cut out the ones that hold you back."

"That's so mean to say! Betty was our friend. Desmond was not." Tatiana argued.

"That's not fair. Desmond is better at challenges and you know this. Try to think broadly." Terrance countered back.

"Terrance is right." Jane interjected. "I feel bad for voting for Betty, but it's for the good of out team, and for our game."

"But...But.." Tatiana looked sad.

"Don't you want to win too?" Jane asked her.

"No party is perfect. Trust me, I'm a gamer too." Terrance said as he grabbed her shoulders and pushed her away from him. "The only thing we can do is make sure we don't lose again. That way, we won't lose any more party members."

"Fine!" Tatiana huffed as she stormed back into the bedroom and slammed the door behind her.

"Well that's over." Terrance sighed in relief.

"So how did it feel?" Jane turned to him.

"How did what feel?" Terrance tilted his head.

"Her breasts. How soft were they?" Jane asked.

Terrance gave a wtf face at her. "I don't wanna have this conversation." He immediately turned and left the outpost.

"Don't say you didn't like it!" Jane called after him as he closed the door. "Sheesh, it was just a question."

 **~Confessional~**

 **Jane:** Yes I get that voting off an alliance member was risky on my part, but it had to be done. Tatiana is just undergoing the initial shock of it all. I can understand that. I need to keep a level head in order to lead this team and with Desmond and Nataline being unpredictable with their votes, it's going to need a lot of work. I'm sorry Betty, I really am. On the other hand, Tatiana's skin is so smooth. I wonder how she does it. *she rubs her own arms and shoulders and frowns*

 **Terrance:** Tatiana needs to calm down if she's gonna play this game any further. I get that losing Betty will definitely leave a mark on her but that's part of the game. I'm gonna try my best to keep winning challenges for us. But then again, I still need to make sure Nataline soaks up the glory. But seriously though, Tatiana has such big brea- heart!... You know, because she cares about her friend. *chuckles nervously as he rubs the back of his head and looks away* Not to mention smooth skin. Really smooth skin. I wonder if...No! Remember your boundaries, Terrance. You hate girls. You want to stay away from them as much as possible. Remember that.

 **Tatiana:** I can't believe those two! It would have been way easier if we voted for Desmond. Right? I mean, he isn't part of the party within the party. I still ant to trust both Terrance and Jane since I consider them my friends too, but what am I going to do? *she grips her chocobo hat tightly*

 **~End Confessional~**

* * *

 **(Blue Ardonians)**

Sarah and Arnold were by the riverbed, talking while holding hands.

"Last night was a mess. It just sucks." Arnold said. "We're in a clear minority now."

"I know." Sarah sighed. "I was actually supposed to get Lucy to vote with us, but last night showed that she didn't follow through."

"Why Lucy?" Arnold asked. "I didn't know you two were close."

"It's not that." Sarah rubbed her arm. "I voted for Delilah last time because Lucy actually convinced me to."

"What!?" Arnold exclaimed. "Really? What did she even tell you?"

"Something about the long run and about how it can affect all our games and stuff." Sarah tried to list. "I wasn't paying much attention because she was talking a bit fast yet a bit soft spoken."

"And then what happened?" Arnold asked her.

"And then I voted for Delilah, like she told me to." Sarah then lowered her voice into a whisper. "Don't tell her or anyone that I told you this, but she was kinda different when she talked to me about that vote."

"Different in what way?" Arnold looked confused. "It sounds like something shady. Shady...Shady...Shane...Shanedy hehehe." He chuckled to himself.

"Hey focus!" Sarah scolded. "This is serious. She didn't have her headband on and her right eye..." She trailed off.

"Her right eye...?" Arnold encouraged her to go on.

"It was red." Sarah finally said. "I don't know how to describe it. I'm not saying it's robot-like or inhuman or anything, it's mostly like those red contacts people wear. But something about it doesn't feel right."

"Sounds ominous." Arnold said, now slightly frightened. "Sorry, I'm not too good on ghosts and stuff."

"I'm not saying she's a ghost either!" Sarah exclaimed. "But it's definitely intimidating and...um..what was that word we used in a song one time? Malicious! There we go. It looked malicious." Sarah snapped her fingers.

Arnold squeezed her hand tighter. "Hey don't worry. We'll uncover her secrets sooner or later. If you say it's weird or something then we'll get to the bottom of this." He then thought for a moment. "I know! We can go ask Nicholas. Maybe he knows what's up. I heard detectives can easily identify a person based on stuff."

"Based on stuff?" Sarah smirked. "You alright over there?"

"Yeah yeah. So I'm not good at remembering specific things either." Arnold scratched his head.

"At least you admit to your own flaws. I like that." Sarah blushed lightly. Arnold saw this and blushed as well.

 **~Confessional~**

 **Sarah:** Arnold can be sweet and is actually a good listener. That's why I know I can trust him with my issue with Lucy. I hope we get out of this mess soon because i definitely do NOT want to face elimination again. We're in a dangerous spot as it is. Damn but I still suck at strategy.

 **Arnold:** If what Sarah says is true then Lucy is someone to watch out for. But she's close to Jude and Nicholas from what I've seen so it's hard to expose her like that. Maybe Nicholas can help us out here? I heard detectives are fair too.

 **~End Confessional~**

Lucy was with Nicholas inside of the outpost.

"No one can hear us here." Nicholas stated with a poker face. "Now tell me, what are you?"

"What do you mean?" Lucy asked, confused by his question.

"Yesterday you admitted that you did a criminal act. I want to know about it." Nicholas said simply. "I want to trust you, but it's hard to read you."

"Well like I said, I'm still not comfortable with sharing it." Lucy pointed out. "And especially not on reality tv." She pointed at the camera.

"I mean, you were already pardoned so it's not like you're life will be in any more danger." Nicholas said.

"Then you obviously don't know what it's like to be a pardoned criminal." Lucy frowned. "You're a detective. You put people behind bars, not ask them of their lives afterwards. We suffer too."

"So do the people you torment." Nicholas stared at her evenly. "Criminals are the bane of society. I hope you know that." Lucy looked taken aback and tears started to well up in her eyes.

"How could you say that? I thought we were friends." Lucy sniffed. Just then, Jude and Nelly entered the outpost and saw the scene before them.

"Hey what's going on here?" Jude demanded as he went over to Lucy's side. He saw the tears in her eyes and then glared at Nicholas. "What the hell, man!?"

"Did you just make a girl cry?" Nelly shook her head. "And it had to be Lucy too? For shame."

"The both of you are misunderstanding the situation. I was merely asking her of the crime she did in the past." Nicholas explained evenly. "I find her hard to read, but yesterday's revelation could lead somewhere."

"Yeah but all you did was make her cry." Jude pointed out as Lucy cried on his shoulder. "Not cool."

"Whatever it is Lucy did in the past, it's in the past. Get over it." Nelly sneered. "It's not like the end of the world."

"Then think what you will." Nicholas stood up and headed for the door. "You are being too emotional on her judgement."

 **~Confessional~**

 **Nicholas:** They do not understand that criminals are truly despicable. They disobey the law and create chaos in society. If Lucy has a criminal past, it is worth looking into. Her soft spoken personality may possibly be a guise as well. Jude and Nelly will see it soon. I only fear that it will be too late when they do.

 **Jude:** And here I thought that Nicholas is a cool person and Lucy's friend. Even though he is still an alliance member, he made Lucy cry and I can't have that. I don't know how long I can keep him in if he will keep on being like this to her.

 **Lucy:** *her right eye is red* That detective is being too nosy. I think I'm gonna have to eliminate him next. It will take some convincing, but I'll manage. I have to.

 **Nelly:** Sure Lucy is a crybaby at times but you'd think someone like Nicholas would show some respect of the girl's privacy right? But despite that, he's still a good challenge asset for us.

 **~End Confessional~**

* * *

Chris' hologram appeared on the tables of each outpost.

"Alright everyone, meet me in the clearing of the forest in between the Red Sith's and the Green Grell's outpost for your next challenge. Chop chop!" He announced.

"This should be a short walk." Marvin remarked to his team.

"I wanted to walk all the way to the Blue Ardonian's outpost. More exercise that way." Cassie frowned.

"Says you." Cyrus rolled his eyes. "Some of us want to save our energy for the next challenge."

"I'm with him on this one actually." Ivy chipped in. "Sorry."

"W-Well we can't j-just sit here and do nothing. L-Let's go!" Phoebe exclaimed as she dashed out the door and headed for the destination.

"She's pretty lively." Valerie giggled. Shane just narrowed his eyes to the direction Phoebe went but said nothing. Cyrus rolled his eyes again.

"We must not be late. Let us be off." Wesley said to his teammates as he smiled.

"Of course." Jane and Tatiana said in unison, blushing a bit. Desmond raised his eyebrow.

"I'm bringing this with me." Terrance announced as he held his EMP grenade. "It's to keep me sane."

"You were sane to begin with?" Nataline gave an amused scoff.

"Pot calling kettle black?" Terrance smirked. He walked out the door and Desmond followed him.

"Do not mind him. Perhaps he just woke up on the wrong side of the bed." Wesley assured Nataline as he headed outside as well.

"Damn, long walk." Nelly groaned as her team began walking to the clearing. Being the furthest outpost, they left immediately in order to not be late.

"Don't tell me you can't even walk a few meters." Arnold smirked as he and Sarah were ahead of them, holding hands and laughing.

"Few meters!? Do you even freaking math!?" Nelly exclaimed in disdain. "This is will definitely take up the energy we need for the challenge."

"Then you should stop talking. It takes up more energy." Sarah chimed in with a chuckle. Nelly looked about ready to flip out when Nicholas placed a hand on her shoulder.

"It isn't worth it. You are right when you said that this walk will take up time and energy, but you must not forget that we are the most physically strongest team out of the three teams." Nicholas stated evenly. "We must not take this combined asset for granted, of course, so for the most part we should conserve our energy and getting angry will only consume more."

"If only I can be like you." Nelly mused. "I get that I'm a nerd, but thinking too logically still isn't my best trait."

"We are unique in our own ways. Remember that." Nicholas said.

"So are you feeling better now?" Jude asked Lucy with concern as they brought up the rear.

"Yeah. I'll be fine." Lucy assured him. "You're one of the team's challenge assets, right? Maybe you should focus on getting hyped up for the challenge."

"That's true." Jude nodded. "But I'm concerned about you. Whatever Nicholas said wasn't cool of him. I'll go talk to him later about this."

"No need to do that." Lucy frowned. "I don't want to cause team drama here."

"You're not causing it. Nicholas is." Jude pointed out to her. "You're a sweet girl." Lucy blushed at this.

"Thank you for saying so." She said embarrassingly. "But still, let's put that aside for now. The challenge is coming up." She looked ahead.

Jude looked ahead too and saw that they are near the clearing now.

 **~Confessional~**

 **Shane:** Whatever Phoebe thinks she can accomplish by doing this daily routine of exercise, it won't work. It takes months and years to get better at physical activities. She should just accept her fate of being a team hindrance.

 **Valerie:** Phoebe is looking so energetic today~ I gotta do my best too and be optimistic about all this. I mean, our team has seven people while the rest have six. I think we're doing great!

 **Terrance:** Can I switch teams please? Preferably one with no Nataline in it, thanks. *plays with the EMP grenade*

 **Nelly:** Nicholas is the kind of person that's hard boiled in challenges yet cool and collected when not doing one. He's so damn logical it makes you wonder if he's really human sometimes.

 **Arnold:** I really hope it's another physical challenges. These other teams need to know why we are still the best! I mean, yeah, Green Drell has like seven members to boast but hey, we should totally send them to elimination tonight.

 **~End Confessional~**

The teams all arrived at the clearing. There they saw Chris standing there beside a huge pile of parts that look futuristic. There is also a long table with various tools in it. Three large circles in the colors red, green, and blue around the area, and all the contestants are standing near their respective circles.

"Looks like everyone is here." Chris announced. "This challenge requires teamwork-"

"No shit." Nelly sneered. A few others chuckled.

"Knowledge in constructing objects," Chris continued irritably as he glared at Nelly. "and efficiency in building it."

"What are we building exactly?" Marvin inquired.

"Robots." Chris stated with a grin.

"Robots?" Marvin asked again.

"Yes, robots." Chris reiterated.

"Yes!" Terrance and Nelly exclaimed in unison.

"Nerds." Arnold rolled his eyes.

"The pile of parts you see before you is what you guys will use to build the robot." Chris motioned towards the pile. "And these.." He took out three small booklets. "Are instruction manuals and what you will need to help guide you. Don't worry, you got all day to build your robot and make it work."

Chris motioned towards the table with the tools. "You will obviously needs these tools to build your robot." He then waved the instruction manuals. "Alright, come claim your manuals."

Jane, Sarah, and Shane all stepped forward and each took one instruction manual. They skimmed the pages.

"What the hell? It's in Spanish." Shane said.

"Mine's in Russian." Jane stated with a confused face.

"Is this Arabic?" Sarah asked as she read the manual from all angles.

"I forgot to tell you that your manuals are not in English, so good luck reading them." Chris laughed.

"It's okay, I read Russian." Nataline said to Jane as the latter rejoin their team.

"I speak Spanish so we're gonna have a mighty fine time y'all." Cassie exclaimed as she took the manual from Shane and read it.

"Does anyone here understand Arabic?" Sarah asked her teammates.

"Not me." Arnold shook his head.

"I arrested an Arabic criminal once. But I do not speak their language." Nicholas said.

"Damn I didn't know you go international." Nelly remarked.

"None of you asked." The detective shrugged.

"Anyways, I can't understand that too." Jude frowned.

"Nor can I." Lucy said afterwards.

"Then we're screwed." Sarah groaned.

"No we're not. I have experience building machines in my school." Nelly exclaimed proudly. "I know some parts here and we can just improvise from there. It's not like the other teams know what they're doing too."

"Attention, everyone!" Chris said. "We'll begin the challenge now. First and second place goes to the team that can present to me the finished product that already works. Last place will face elimination tonight. That's all." His avatar vanished from the scene.

 **~Confessional~**

 **Nataline:** I have not studied much on robotics, but I believe even I can help out with construction. Other than that...*sighs*...Guess it's up to Terrance. I hate admitting that he can be more useful than me. It just gives him a reason to rub it in.

 **Terrance:** I'm totally rubbing it in Nataline's face when we win this challenge. *smirks*

 **Arnold:** While this challenge may be for nerds, I can at least carry the heavy stuff around here. That should make things easier.

 **Jude:** My dad is a mechanic at his workplace and I sometimes watch him do his thing. I can help with putting parts together but the lack of an instruction manual can be difficult. I hope Nelly knows what she's doing.

 **Phoebe:** I b-build dollhouses at home. S-Surely this can't b-be much different, r-right?

 **~End Confessional~**

As everyone got to work building their robots, Chris' hologram appeared suddenly.

"I forgot to tell you guys that there are two Invisibility Statues hidden among the pile. They are a bit smaller and blue in color. You can use that once during an elimination on yourself or on the person who received the most votes."Chris said. "That's all. For real this time." The hologram flickered out.

Lucy gave a small sinister small as she heard this.

 **~Confessional~**

 **Lucy:** Perfect. *her right eye is red and she is grinning evilly*

 **Cyrus:** With everyone on my ass right now, I could use one. Or two.

 **~End Confessional~**

The Red Sith immediately began to work on theirs, and going at an even pace. Nataline read from the manual while Jane and Desmond got a few parts from the pile.

Terrance, Tatiana, and Wesley gathered around the circle and helped each other as they started working on the limbs. Nataline had already showed them what the robot was supposed to look like so they had a pretty good idea what to do.

"I'll go get the tools." Terrance said as he left to go get some tools from the table.

"This goes over here." Tatiana said as she attached a metallic leg to a foot. "And this goes here." She placed a steel rod to keep it in place."

"You are quite good at this, Tatiana." Wesley praised. Tatiana blushed a little. "Have you done this before?"

"Yeah! I put together smaller robots at home. It's part of my collection." Tatiana exclaimed.

"I see." Wesley smiled. "I've been meaning to ask you, what will you do with the money once you've won?"

"That's easy! I'll spend it all on games and merchandise." Tatiana beamed. "After I make sure I can cover for college."

"Aren't your parents going to cover your expense for college?" Wesley tilted his head.

"They said that, but I want to do this on my own if I can." Tatiana said. "I don't want to burden them or anything."

"I'm sure they wouldn't mind." Wesley smiled. "Parents can be really supportive of their children's dreams."

"I know, and it's awesome!" Tatiama agreed. Nataline frowned and a tear escaped her eye as she heard their conversation but hid her expression behind the manual and just kept on reading it.

Meanwhile, the Blue Ardonians were having a rough time with their robot. Nelly took the instruction manual and skimmed it while the rest of the team gathered the necessary tools and parts they think will be needed for the construction. Lucy, on the other hand, was secretly finding for the Statue among the pile of parts but to no avail.

"Do we need screwdrivers for this?" Sarah asked Jude as they were both in the tools table.

"Yeah, obviously." Jude said.

"I don't know, I mean since this is the future you'd think we can just mash parts together and they form into a robot or something." Sarah shrugged.

"Guess not." Jude glanced towards the work of the Green Drell and Red Sith, who seem to be making much better progress than them.

"Come on. Where is it?" Lucy said through gritted teeth as she pushed aside parts as she dug deeper into the pile, her right eye flashing red.

"Where is what?" Nicholas appeared beside her. "And what happened to your eye?" He added.

"Oh um.." She stammered as she stopped what she was doing. "I was finding parts for the knee caps and joint areas by the arms. Those things are hard to find, you know." She then looked away. "And I kinda rubbed my eye earlier and got a sore eye. Ehehe.." She chuckled nervously.

Nicholas narrowed his eyes at her but said nothing and began to work on his own again.

"Nosy little detective." Lucy muttered under her breath.

 **~Confessional~**

 **Nicholas:** Something is wrong here. Something about Lucy just does not feel right. She may have said that her has sore eyes but it's not all that convincing.

 **Lucy:** Nicholas is getting on my nerves now. *her right eye is flashing red* Looks like I may have to get rid of him sooner or later before he finds out anything. Now how will I convince the others to vote against him? Ah yes, I have Jude. Ehehehe.

 **~End Confessional~**

The Green Drell is making good progress in their robot. They had already built two arms and a leg and are making progress on its head. Cassie read from their instruction manual while Ivy, Marvin, and Phoebe worked on the robot. Cyrus and Shane went to gather the parts and Valerie was in charge of the tools.

"Phoebe, you're really good at this." Marvin praised his teammate.

"T-Thanks." Phoebe replied with a cute smile.

"I drew manga about robots once. That's why I know what I'm doing." Ivy said. The helmet of the robot suddenly came off. "Well, more or less." She added.

Both Marvin and Phoebe lightly laughed at this. Meanwhile, Shane and Cyrus were digging through the pile when they found a power core.

"This might be the source of power for that heap of metal." Shane said. "I'll bring it back." He got it and turned to give it to his teammates. Cyrus looked into the place where the power core had been and found a small Invincibility Statue.

"Nice." He got the Statue and hid it in his pocket before anyone could see.

Shane returned and saw Cyrus grinning.

"What?" Shane grunted at him. "You're smiling. Is it the end of the world yet?"

"You wish." Cyrus smirked. "I got just a wave of inspiration."

Shane just rolled his eyes and began to search for more parts.

 **~Confessional~**

 **Cyrus:** An inspiration for a shocking elimination next time we are in one. *he grins*

 **~End Confessional~**

Hours passed and so far the Red Sith are making significant progress. They had already attached the limbs to an incomplete torso and Terrance had begun to work on the wiring. The Green Drell and Blue Ardonians were more or less on equal footing with their robots since both teams looked like they are having a hard time building it.

"No, that tool isn't used for that." Jude scolded Sarah as she was trying to hammer a screw.

"Hey, be nice to her. It's her first time doing manual labor." Arnold glared at the marksman.

"Wait is this for the front or for the back?" Ivy curiously asked as she held up a metallic plate. Marvin thought hard and Phoebe just shrugged.

"A converter?" Cassie looked at the manual with a confused face. "What is that?"

"I believe it has something to do with the power or something." Valerie said as she came back with more tools. "I don't know, I wasn't paying attention in science class."

"Well this might be a problem." Cassie tipped her hat forward.

"Where does this thing go anyway?" Marvin held up the power core.

"I d-don't know. None of my d-dollhouses have t-those things in them." Phoebe frowned.

"Open up the hatch, I'll attach these inside." Terrance said to Tatiana as he held up some wires and a panel.

"Roger that!" The gamer girl pressed a button on the side of the robot and a hatch opened up at the middle. Terrance climbed the robot and went inside the small space inside. He was about to close it when Nataline's hand blocked it.

"Wait, you need the manual to do it right." Nataline said as she waved the instruction manual. "Let me do it."

"Are you kidding me? I'm better at this than you are. And I don't speak Russian." Terrance tried closing the hatch but Nataline forced it open again.

"Then I'm going in." She got inside the hatch as well and shoved Terrance aside.

"What the hell? We won't fit in here. Get out!" Terrance exclaimed but it was no use. Nataline forced herself inside the space and closed the hatch.

Wesley and Tatiana stared up at the machine as they heard voices inside. Jane and Desmond came back with more parts and stopped as they realized that the both of them were staring at the robot. It looked like Terrance and Nataline were arguing inside as they tried to attach the wires and cords.

"Hey!...Move over so I can get this to-" It was Terrance's voice followed by a short metallic sound.

"Watch it! I'm trying to read here!" That was Nataline's voice.

"You're in the way of the socket! And why is it dark in here!?" Terrance said as it seemed like he was fiddling around the space. He then felt something soft on his palm. "What is-" A short shriek followed by a slapping sound can be heard afterwards. "Ow! What the hell!?"

"Keep your hands to yourself! What a pervert!" Nataline sounded angry but her voice shook a little.

"Okay that was my bad but maybe it wouldn't have happened if you'd just get out!" Terrance insisted. The sound of metal clicked in and then came the sound of screws falling on the floor.

"Now look what you did." Nataline groaned. She fumbled to grab the screws that fell.

"Just let me do it." Terrance sighed as he followed suit. He felt around a bit then his hands grazed against cloth and something round.

"TERRANCE!" The rest of the team heard this scream from outside. They each gave a face and Tatiana looked flustered.

 **~Confessional~**

 **Nataline:** *her face looks flustered* He's such a pervert, touching me like that! He definitely took advantage of the darkness and small space to do that. *she huffs*

 **Terrance:** Seriously those were all accidents. Mom, Dad, you gotta believe me when I say I'm not a pervert. That girl is gonna drive me mad before the game ends I swear.

 **Tatiana:** What..happened in there? *she looks flustered as well and had a dumb look on her face*

 **Desmond:** Terrance, you sly dog. This is a rated PG show. *smirks*

 **Nelly:** Why is the Red Sith just standing there? Oh I get it! They're being complacent just because they're in the lead! Well I'll show them! So what if they have Terrance with them? I'm better than him at this stuff!

 **~End Confessional~**

A couple more hours passed and the Red Sith are nearing completion. The Blue Ardonians and Green Drell are still neck to neck, having also finished the outer shell and are now attaching wires and cords into the machine.

"I'll do the wires." Nelly declared as she opened the hatch and went inside with the things she needs.

"Do you even know how to do it?" Arnold scoffed.

"Do you?" Nelly retorted.

"Well no.." Arnold looked away. "But whatever! If you fail it's on you." Nelly rolled her eyes and shut the hatch in front of her.

"We have to appreciate what she's doing, Arnold." Nicholas said to the soccer player. "She is the only one well experienced to do this."

"I know." Arnold rubbed his head. "But I ain't admitting that to her face. She'll just act all arrogant."

"True that." Sarah agreed. They both laughed.

"Now which one of y'all want to do this?" Cassie asked her team as she held up the control panel.

"Why not you? You got the manual." Cyrus pointed out.

"I ain't good with this city folk thing." Cassie admitted.

"I can try to do it." Ivy volunteered. "How hard can it be?"

"Harder than getting laid, that's for sure." Valerie answered.

"Just give me that." Shane grunted as he took the control panel from Cassie and grabbed some wires and cords. "I'll do it." He opened the hatch and began to work.

 **~Confessional~**

 **Shane:** Like I said before, I hijacked a car one time. I know my way around wires. This isn't going to be easy but let's see if the Blue Ardonians can actually do better.

 **Nelly:** This is pretty damn easy! We're gonna win for sure!

 **Arnold:** I'm usually a nice guy. But with Nelly, it's hard to be. She just gets on your nerves with the constant arrogance and negativity. It's really not good for morale and I hope my team sees that soon.

 **Valerie:** I've had many offers to get laid back home. I declined each one though. I'm too busy flirting to actually get down and dirty, to be honest. I'm addicted to beautiful person, not sex.

 **~End Confessional~**

Both Nelly and Shane worked hard inside the robot attaching the control panel and the wires. At this point, the Red Sith had already finished making the final touches and Chris appeared in front of their workplace.

"Well done, Red Sith. But does it work?" Chris smirked. Wesley held a remote in his hand and pressed a button. The robot's eyes shone and the machine came to life. "Not bad. Let's see its movement."

Terrance opened the hatch and took his place on the seat behind the control panel. He pressed a few buttons and moved the joystick a little and soon the robot began walking and waving its arms fluidly and perfectly.

"Looks like you guys just won first place!" Chris announced. Everyone from the Red Sith cheered.

"Yes!" Jane exclaimed as she high fived Tatiana.

"It was a good challenge." Nataline remarked to Wesley with a smile.

"And we did it." Wesley nodded with a smile of his own.

"Hey Terrance, you gotta teach me how to man that thing." Desmond said to the techie boy as the latter dropped down from the robot.

"Sure, if Chris lets us keep it." Terrance said to him while glancing at the host.

"You can play around with it for as long as the day allows but I'm getting it back afterwards." Chris shrugged. "I still have use for it." He then motioned towards the pile. "But if you want, you guys can make some other thing from that pile and keep it."

Tatiana's eyes lit up and immediately dashed towards the pile. Jane shrugged and followed her to see what's up.

"And now, it's down to the Blue Ardonians and the Green Drell!" Chris announced with a smirk. "Who will make it out in second place? Who will face elimination tonight? Only time will tell!"

The two teams waited anxiously, with Phoebe being the most anxious, for their teammate that is inside of the machine and applying the last touches.

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...And Nelly pops out of the hatch and drops down first.

"Fire it up!" She ordered. Nicholas nodded and pressed a button on the remote. Nothing happened.

"What? Why is it not working?" The detective pressed the button again but the machine wouldn't come to life.

"Did you put the power core inside properly?" Nelly glared at Jude and Sarah.

"Um, which one was the power core again?" Jude chuckled nervously as he rubbed the back of his head.

Nelly just facepalmed.

 **~Confessional~**

 **Jude:** Okay so I probably didn't put in the power core correctly. Actually, did I put in a power core at all?

 **~End Confessional~**

Shane dropped down from the hatch of their team's robot.

"Now." He told Ivy, who was spacing out again. "Ivy!" He shouted.

"Huh? Oh right." She pressed the button and the robot came to life.

"Yes!" Valerie cheered.

"W-We did it." Phoebe smiled in relief.

"Great job y'all." Cassie said to her team.

"Good job Green Drell." Chris said as he approached them. "Normally I would ask you to check for movement but it looks like the Blue Ardonians aren't gonna catch up in time." He glanced towards the Blue Ardonians where Sarah was holding a power core in her hand and Nelly was yelling at both her and Jude while Lucy and Nicholas try and calm her down.

"And this too." Tatiana said as she placed a few parts on the robot's hands while Jane assisted her. The gamer girl also got a smaller power core from the pile and it added it to the parts that their robot carried.

"Remind me again what these are for?" Jane inquired as they finished loading the robot.

"I'm making another machine! Chris said we can use some of these part if we wanted." Tatiana beamed.

"What are you making anyway?" Terrance asked her as he opened the hatch to talk to her.

"A mechanical chocobo!" Tatiana declared.

Terrance gave her a face before closing the hatch again.

"Alright, so Green Drell takes second place." Chris announced. "That means that the Blue Ardonians will once again face elimination." The members of the Blue Ardonians groaned. "Meet me in the elimination site in an hour. That's all." His avatar disappeared.

 **~Confessional~**

 **Nicholas:** Our team's numbers dwindle every time. Logically, it is best if we cut off Lucy now. Not only is she unwilling to cooperate when I asked her about her criminal past, but her attitude today strikes me as odd. I will talk to Nelly and Jude about this and hope that they understand what must be done in order to deliver justice.

 **Lucy:** This is my chance to eliminate Nicholas. I can't have him being nosy anymore. Of course, I have Jude on my side but I can't say for sure where Nelly's loyalties lie. As for Sarah and Arnold, as long as their votes don't create a tie then it shouldn't matter. But I need to make this vote airtight so i have to at least try to talk them into voting for him.

 **Nelly:** Let me guess, I'm gonna be in the bottom two again and the other person is gonna take the fall instead of me again. Calling it right now. *smirks*

 **Sarah:** Should we keep voting for Nelly? Or maybe switch the vote to Lucy since I already told Arnold about what's going on with her and I can convince him to vote for her too. Strategy is hard.

 **Jane:** *is holding an Invincibility Statue* I found this while I was helping Tatiana gather parts for her mechanical chocolate or something. Guess I'll need this to stay in the game, right? I'm a challenge threat so people are definitely going to look my way soon when merge hits.

 **~End Confessional~**

* * *

 **(Blue Ardonians)**

Nicholas gathered Nelly and Jude away from the outpost to discuss the vote.

"Alright, we must talk about the vote tonight again." Nicholas started. "I'm leaning towards Lucy herself."

"What!?" Jude exclaimed in shock. "Why her? What did she ever do?"

"Wait, is this about what happened earlier in the outpost?" Nelly pointed out. "Are you out to get her because you suspect her to be some master criminal?" She smirked.

"This is serious. You still won't get over that?" Jude said exasperatedly. "She's been so nice to us since this team ever formed. Whatever her life was before, she changed. That's it." He said with defiance.

"And if she hasn't?" Nicholas asked evenly. "Earlier in the challenge, I saw her rummaging through the pile with much more vigor than usual. Not only that but her eye was red. She claimed it to be a sore eye but I am not convinced." He remarked.

"Then what will make you convinced, huh?" Jude glared at the detective. "What could possibly convince you that she's innocent?"

"Nothing." Nicholas simply said.

"Are you kidding me?" Jude asked in disbelief. "Nelly, back me up here."

"Nelly, you have to see reason. Lucy is unpredictable." Nicholas tried to reason out. "If even I cannot read her or her intentions, then she is a dangerous person to keep."

"But you traveled with her to get here right?" Nelly told him. "What happened to that bond or something? Don't tell me you're just gonna throw the damn thing away."

"For justice, there must be sacrifices." Nicholas stated with conviction.

"You're willing to sacrifice our alliance?" Nelly asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Yeah! Are you willing to do that?" Jude chimed in. "You're just being paranoid and overly cautious. Think of the late game, man."

"Like I said, justice requires sacrifices." Nicholas said evenly. "Moreover, her performances is challenges are not meeting the quota. She is more of a liability. This alliance would not have been necessary if no one is holding us back and resulting in us losing."

"Damn. So logical." Nelly said through gritted teeth. "And yet, so heartless." She added with a shake of her head. "I respect you, Nick, but I don't know if I can go through with this plan." She began to walk away. Jude glared at Nicholas one last time before following her.

"Then who do you propose to vote out instead?" Nicholas called out to them. "Arnold? Sarah? Both of which are good in challenges? Be logical about this." They both ignored him though, and kept on walking.

 **~Confessional~**

 **Jude:** Maybe...Maybe I should vote for Nicholas tonight. I really like Lucy and I don't want to see her get eliminated tonight, not when I have yet to confess my feelings to her. I'll talk about it with Nelly and Lucy later.

 **Nicholas:** This is going to be a difficult elimination, I can tell.

 **~End Confessional~**

Sarah and Arnold were inside the outpost and were about to talk about the vote when Lucy came inside.

"Talking about the vote, I presume?" Lucy asked with a grin. She didn't have her headband on and her right eye was red.

"See? That's what I'm talking about. Arnold, look!" Sarah nudged Arnold's arm and he turned to look at Lucy.

"So that's Lucy? How do you do that with your eye?" Arnold asked in amazement.

"It's a family secret." Lucy lied. "Don't we have more pressing matters to discuss? Like the vote?"

"I'm not voting the way you want." Sarah huffed. "You don't do give and take." She added.

"Really? That's too bad." Lucy said, still grinning. "And if I may ask, who do YOU plan on voting for tonight?"

Sarah was about to say something but Arnold interrupted her. "Nelly. We'll keep voting for her until she gets voted out for good."

"And who will you talk to for it to become a majority vote?" Lucy asked.

"That's..." Arnold stammered. "Nicholas? Jude?"

Lucy gave a light laugh. "Nicholas and Jude? Have you completely forgotten that they are in an alliance with Nelly? How sure are you that they'll vote with you?"

Arnold had nothing to say. Sarah spoke up instead. "We'll find a way. You don't have to worry about it." She rolled her eyes.

"If anything, they might vote for one of you tonight." Lucy said out loud while trying to think. "Admit it, you need my strategic mind. Only I can get you both out of this mess now."

"Even after you didn't vote for Nelly last time?" Sarah narrowed her eyes at the soft spoken girl.

"Yes. I am still willing to work with you. Don't you fear for your boyfriend's chances in this game?" Lucy glanced towards Arnold.

"We're not official yet! And what do you mean, 'chances in this game?' He's doing very well in challenges, you know!" Sarah retorted. Lucy waggled her finger.

"I know and that's the point. Because he's so good at challenges, he might become a target when merge hits." Lucy explained. "You'll need me to make sure that doesn't happen. With my strategy, the other teams won't stand a chance." She exclaimed arrogantly.

"Well when you put it that way..." Sarah looked hesitantly at Arnold, who nodded to her in response.

"We'll do it." Arnold said to Lucy which made the latter's grin wider. "How do you want us to vote?"

"We vote for Nicholas." Lucy said. "I know that he is a challenge asset, but I heard that he is close with someone from the Red Sith. If merge hits and he remains here, it could get dangerous. We'll just have to hang in there until the merge comes up." She further explained to them.

"Fine. Nicholas it is." Arnold conceded.

"Perfect. With that challenge threat out of our way, our merge standing will be easier." Lucy said as she turned and left.

 **~Confessional~**

 **Sarah:** Is it right to eliminate a challenge asset like that early in the game? Is it? I don't know anymore. I just hope Lucy knows what she's doing.

 **Lucy:** *her right eye is red* Even if we continue to lose challenges because of this, I will at least maintain a strong majority. I can choose to save Jude and Nelly, or Sarah and Arnold. Things are definitely going my way. Ehehehe.

 **~End Confessional~**

* * *

 **(Elimination Ceremony)**

All three teams gathered at the elimination site after the hour was up. The Blue Ardonians took their place on the middle and Chris stood before them with five space food containers.

"Looks like Star Trek has bad representatives." Chris smirked. "Didn't think I'd see you guys again so soon."

"That means you were expecting the Red Sith or the Green Drell to be here." Nelly said with an amused scoff. "Does that mean you expected them to suck at this challenge?"

"What? No." Chris said irritably.

"Booo!" Valerie mocked from the sidelines.

"No bias please." Jane shook her head.

"I didn't mean it like that!" Chris exclaimed in annoyance. "Look let's just get to the votes already."

"Sarah."

"Jude."

"Nelly."

"Arnold."

This left Nicholas and Lucy at the bottom two.

"What? Why me?" Lucy was teary eyed now.

"I have a bad feeling about this." Nicholas said grimly.

"Nicholas, Lucy." Chris said solemnly to the two Blue Ardonians. "Tonight, one of you will leave in 19th place and will join your fellow losers in the harsh reality of this world."

"You mean a nice resort?" Nelly smirked.

"Shut up, Nelly." Chris said in annoyance. The nerd just shrugged innocently.

"I wonder who it is." Tatiana leaned forward in her seat.

"I hope it isn't Nicholas." Nataline said softly.

"I don't know either of them that well." Ivy remarked to Phoebe and Marvin.

"I k-kinda hope it isn't Lucy. S-She is less intimidating than Nicholas." Phoebe said.

"The last container of the night goes to..." Chris stopped for effect.

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... "Lucy!" Chris finally exclaimed. The soft spoken girl received her space food container gleefully as tears streamed down her face and she sniffed.

"Thank you!" Lucy exclaimed.

"Nicholas, you have been eliminated." Chris told the tall detective. "Any last words?"

"I only have a few words to say to my teammates." Nicholas stated. "Your emotions have driven you to vote for me instead of Lucy." He glanced at Nelly and Jude. "And while I do not understand why you cannot see things in a logical standpoint, I will not hold any grudge against you. Good luck as you all continue to play the game." He rested his gaze at Lucy. "And may the side of justice win in the end."

"Have fun at the resort." Nelly smirked.

"I will." Nicholas smiled slightly at her.

With that, a large beam of light shone down on Nicholas and enveloped him. Soon, his silhouette could no longer be seen and the beam of light was finish.

"The rest of you can head to bed now. It's a brand new day tomorrow." Chris grinned and the rest of the contestants all filed out. Nelly have a grim look on her face but no one seemed to notice.

 **~Votes~**

 **Nicholas:** Lucy, I simply cannot read your intentions and therefore I cannot trust you. Not only that, but you are currently the weakest link in challenges. It is time for you to go.

 **Lucy:** *her right eye is red* Nicholas thinks he can unveil me, hah! Goodbye, detective boy. This is what happens when you don't mind your own business! Ehehehe.

 **Arnold:** I'm not also good at this strategy stuff. Maybe we do need Lucy after all especially if what she said about me being a threat is true. Sarah will understand. I vote for Nicholas.

 **Sarah:** I vote for Nicholas. I really hope Lucy has our backs but it's not like we have much of a choice. Damn, why do I have to suck at strategy?

 **Jude:** I vote for Nicholas because he was rude to Lucy. Sorry man but I want her to stay in the game. I can always stand up as the team's super player anyway.

 **Nelly:** You know what? I vote for Lucy. If I truly respect Nick then I should trust his judgement on this. Screw Lucy. She was pretty useless most of the time in challenges anyway so what do we have to lose?

 **~Eliminated~**

 **(24th place) Richard - The Maestro**

 **(23rd place) Delilah - The Serpent**

 **(22nd place) Felix - The Prankster**

 **(21st place) Harvey - The Chill Guy**

 **(20th place) Betty - The Phone Addict**

 **(19th place) Nicholas - The Detective**

* * *

Chris was back at the Drama Dome, smiling broadly at the camera in front of him. "The Blue Ardonians are down to five! And with Nicholas gone, will this spell out their doom? What about Jane and Cyrus who found one Invincibility Statue each? How will that change their game? Will Cassie find a way to eliminate Cyrus for Phoebe's sake? Is Lucy in a very powerful position now? Is Terrance really a pervert? Find out next time on Total..Drama...Sci-Fi Showdown!" The camera turned off.

* * *

 **Now which one of you expected this? I know I did. Because I'm the author, duh. But anyway, I originally wanted Nicholas to go far. Like, so far up the merge kind of far. But then as I wrote, I realized that most of these characters can offer so much to the point where Nicholas would just block out most of it if he made it to the merge. I really liked writing him since he was one of my best characters I ever created. He is skilled and highly intelligent, both of which make him such a formidable challenge threat and I'm sure some of you wanted to see more of him in action. But he simply had no more room in this plot and therefore I had to cut him off.**


	8. Chapter 8: Cyan and Silver

**Thank you all dear readers for continuing to read this fanfic even though Nicholas is gone. Honestly, I miss the guy too and it was seriously fun writing him in challenges. Anyways, enjoy the chapter. :)**

* * *

"Last time on Total Drama Sci-Fi Showdown..." Chris started. "Our three teams built robots using parts and tools as well as being guided by an instruction manual that came in different languages." He chuckled. The large blue hologram beside him showed the Red Sith's circle as they built their robot. "The Red Sith were going strong, with Terrance leading the construction and Nataline guiding them with the instruction manual in the Russian language."

The hologram then showed the Blue Ardonian's circle and their struggle with the construction. "The Blue Ardonians were at a slight disadvantage, as nobody from their team understood Arabic."

Then the hologram showed the Green Drell's circle and their construction of the robot. "And even though Cassie understood Spanish and made use of their manual, the Green Drell just didn't have enough experience to build their robot efficiently and effectively." Chris smirked. "In the end, the Red Sith took first place and the Green Drell got a close second since the Blue Ardonians seem to have a...core problem with their machine." He chuckled.

The blue hologram showed the elimination ceremony. "The Blue Ardonians were given time to think of who to vote off, and Jude's alliance seemed shaky about it. Nicholas wanted Lucy gone for her unreadable intentions and her dark past but Jude wasn't having any of it and decided to vote off the detective, hoping to save Lucy and keep her in the game. Lucy tried to convince Sarah and Arnold to ally with her and help her vote out Nicholas too. With the two lovers having no choice since their strategic game isn't as refined, they accepted. Nelly weighed her options and was even leaning towards voting for Nicholas too, but her respect for him made her vote for the soft spoken Lucy instead. But this was not enough and so the detective took the fall that night."

Chris spread out his arms in a dramatic fashion. "With their greatest challenge asset gone, how will the Blue Ardonians win challenges now? Is Cyrus safe from his team now that he has an Invincibility Statue? Is Terrance living the good life as an unintentional pervert? Is Lucy the greatest strategic mind right now? Find out now on Total...Drama...Sci-Fi Showdown!"

* * *

 **(Blue Ardonians)**

 **~Confessional~**

 **Nelly:** Last night, Nicholas went home. As much as I hate to admit it, he's literally our strongest team asset. I don't know why they voted for him but it might have something to do with Jude. He's probably too head over heels for Lucy and couldn't see reason anymore. But it's too late now. I wonder how we'll win challenges with only the monkey brained Arnold and asian Jude as our only physical asset left and of course, my great intellect.

 **Lucy:** *her right eye is red* I am well aware of what the consequences will be when we voted off Nicholas. And even though we are doomed, I am definitely in control of the votes. I don't care if my teammates all get voted off as long as I remain. Hehehe.

 **~End Confessional~**

Nelly went outside and saw Lucy staring at the riverbed. She was about to approach the soft spoken girl but Jude went over there first and chatted with her.

"Tsk." Nelly sneered under her breath. She stormed off into the woods alone.

Meanwhile, Jude tapped Lucy on the shoulder.

"Yes?" Lucy turned and saw Jude standing there with a shy grin on his face. "Oh, good morning Jude."

"Sup Lucy." Jude rubbed the back of his head. "So last night was really something, huh?" He said cautiously as to not make her uncomfortable with the topic.

"Yes, it was." Lucy agreed sadly. "I'm sure it had to be our own alliance member. I realize now that we lost a challenge asset for our team." She became teary eyed.

"Hey hey hey, it's not your fault." Jude assured her. "He was being very cruel to you and to your past. That was out of line and uncalled for."

"Well yeah." Lucy sniffed. "But now what? How will we stand up to the other teams now?"

"I'm still here." Jude said with slight conviction. "I can carry this team. Oh and Arnold is here too." He added.

Lucy giggled a bit which made Jude smile. "Then we'll be fine, right?"

"Of course." Jude declared, more confidently now. Lucy giggled again and when Jude looked towards the riverbed in embarrassment, her right eye flashed red for a moment.

 **~Confessional~**

 **Jude:** I know that I just turned my back against Nicholas and voted him off just so Lucy could be saved and last night I couldn't sleep because of that. Maybe it's just this feeling that we're screwed without him. But I gotta prove my worth and impress Lucy. *he smirks proudly*

 **~End Confessional~**

Sarah and Arnold hung out inside the outpost as usual.

"Well we got rid of Nicholas last night." Sarah noted. "It's not my jam, but it can't be helped."

"Our team is so small now." Arnold frowned. "Guess I expected too much ever since that volcano race. We were rocking that and I thought we'd continue that streak."

"We can still make an epic comeback." Sarah stood up and pumped her fist in the air. "Now our team is easier to manage."

"But things will get harder from here without Nicholas." Arnold sighed. "Well it's no use getting bummed about it." He stood up as well. "Come on, we can go run a lap outside to get us hyped up!"

"Rock on!" Sarah cheered.

 **~Confessional~**

 **Sarah:** Yeah I get that we lost our strongest physical asset yet but we're not out of this game! The Blue Ardonians will fight back and make sure we get the spotlight.

 **Arnold:** Sarah sure knows how to cheer me up. *he chuckles* As for me, I need to step up and become this team's greatest physical asset. After that, hopefully me and Sarah and be in the final two.

 **~End Confessional~**

* * *

 **(Red Sith)**

Mechanical noises can be heard outside of the outpost. Nataline went outside to investigate and saw Terrance and Tatiana making a mechanical creature.

"What are you doing?" The noble girl asked them just as Tatiana closed a small hatch in its neck.

"None of your business." Terrance grunted as he placed the power core inside the mechanical animal from a hatch under it.

"We're making a mecha chocobo!" Tatiana exclaimed. "It's gonna be so cool! It'll do everything a chocobo can do and more!"

"You have yet to explain what this 'chocobo' is." Nataline pointed out.

"And you don't have to know." Terrance grunted as he stood up. "Not like you'd understand anyway."

"Don't be like that." Tatiana scolded him. "Nataline is nice." This made Nataline smile and give a victorious smirk at Terrance.

"Thank you, Tatiana." Nataline giggled. Terrance adjusted his glasses as he narrowed his eyes at her.

"I'm taking a break. Gonna go get some food inside." Terrance announced as he went back inside without looking back.

"Can you give me a cupcake while you're at it?" Tatiana called out after him before Terrance went inside.

"Sure." The techie boy said as he closed the door.

"So what's up with you and Terrance?" Tatiana tilted her head at Nataline.

"Oh, nothing." Nataline said simply. "I honestly don't know why he's so hostile."

"Because he's nice to me and Jane, that's why it's surprising that he can be bad to people." Tatiana scratched the back of her head in confusion.

"Don't worry about it. He's not actively hurting me or anything so it's fine." Nataline assured.

"No it's not." Tatiana said firmly as she got on the mecha chocobo. She took out a remote and pressed a button, and the animal's eyes came to life. "I won't stand my party members being mean to each other." The chocobo charges forth uncontrollably.

"Oh my." Nataline said as the chocobo ran past her.

"Whoa!" Tatiana exclaimed as she tried to hold on but the chocobo suddenly stopped and she was lurched forward and off the animal, falling face first. Nataline went over to her and looked on with concern. "I'm okay." The gamer girl said with a thumbs up.

 **~Confessional~**

 **Tatiana:** I want my party to always get along. They say morale is important in every party and that it helps them do better, so I'm definitely gonna make sure Terrance and Nataline get along! I accept this mission!

 **Nataline:** Tatiana is such a nice and positive person. I guess her friendliness is her best trait. I heard that a person's personality is shaped by the environment they live in, so she must have nice friends and...family. *she looks away sadly*

 **~End Confessional~**

Jane and Wesley were inside the outpost, eating cupcakes and drinking brewed coffee. Jane saw Wesley pour more sugar cubes into his cup than her.

"Let me guess, you don't like 'em bitter, huh?" Jane remarked to the foreign boy.

"That is correct." Wesley smiled. "As a matter of fact, I would not be drinking coffee if Chris had just served us tea instead."

"And even then I bet you'd still like it sweet." Jane smirked.

"Yes that is true." Wesley admitted with a smile.

Terrance walked inside the outpost looking a bit frustrated.

"Hey Terrance, what's up? The mecha thingamadoodle didn't work?" Jane said to the techie boy as he went over to the table to grab two cupcakes and an orange.

"It's called a mecha chocobo and it's not finished yet. I haven't attached the synchronize antennae yet so it won't properly obey the owner." Terrance explained as he sat down across them both.

"Then why do you look sad?" Wesley asked with concern.

"None of your business." Terrance scowled at him. "Why do you care what the 'commoners' feel anyway!?"

"I am merely concerned for you. Why the hostility?" Wesley answered back though not losing his friendly demeanor.

"Calm down. Wesley was just asking." Jane intervened.

"Shut up. You're obviously defending him because he's rich and handsome. Not to mention popular." Terrance said the last word with spite.

Jane blushed lightly which made Terrance narrow his eyes at her. "But he's still nice so there's no reason to be like that."

"I do not know what you have been through to hate us nobles, but I promise you that we are not all like that." Wesley said calmly and with a reassuring smile but Terrance did not budge.

"That's all you have to say?" Terrance rolled his eyes. "I heard it all before. But the fact remains that popular kids always think they're top shit and get all arrogant. It pisses me off that some of them have nothing to prove, while those with actual talent get trampled all over by them."

"I assure you that I do not think lowly of those in the lower class." Wesley frowned. "As a matter of fact, I aim to make my country a better place for the common folk." He said solemnly. "And as for talent, I do possess a few though it will bee hard to make a demonstration."

"You're just saying that." Terrance insisted with a scowl but his voice shook a little. "You're probably a corrupted noble!" He accused.

"Hey now that's uncalled for!" Jane scolded Terrance as Wesley looked hurt and shocked by what he said. "Apologize now!"

"Make me." Terrance stood up and walked out of the outpost.

Jane made a move to stand up and go after him when Wesley grabbed her wrist "Please, there is no need." He told her. He then immediately let go of her wrist. "Pardon me for touching you without your permission." He apologized to her. Jane could only blush slightly and smile at him.

 **~Confessional~**

 **Jane:** I don't know what Terrance's problem is. Maybe something happened to him in the past and now he gets angry at every fancy dressed, well-mannered, good-looking men. *sighs dreamily while blushing before shaking her head back into reality* What? I mean, Terrance should really apologize to Wesley later.

 **Terrance:** Whatever Wesley said it has to be a lie. No noble ever dreams of helping those below them. Hah, I bet he just corrupted his way to the top. Same goes in my school. It's always those 'royalty' girls and those popular jocks that own the halls and always bullying those they think are weirdos. They're jealous that we have actual talent and they just blow all their money into their popularity.

 **Desmond:** I came back from my walk in the forest to see Tatiana vigorously talking to Nataline and Terrance storming off in another direction. What happened?

 **~End Confessional~**

* * *

 **(Green Drell)**

Marvin saw Phoebe doing push-ups in the forest and decided to approach her.

"Good morning, Phoebe." Marvin greeted the doll faced girl. "Are you preparing for the next challenge?" He inquired.

"Y-Yes." Phoebe said in between breaths as she stopped and stood back up. "I w-want to be more useful to the team. I n-noticed that we're doing mostly physical challenges and t-that's where I l-lack in."

"Well I think you're doing a great job." Marvin praised her.

"T-Thank you." Phoebe gave a cute smile which made Marvin smile more. "Shane t-told me yesterday that my e-efforts are useless." She pouted.

"Well don't mind him. I like girls who aim higher." Marvin said.

"Do y-you really think I c-can be useful to this team?" Phoebe asked him.

"Of c-course. Nothing is impossible if you put your mind to it. I ask questions so that I can find out what the answers are to them. Or find the answers myself." Marvin laughed.

"What do you usually do to get so fit?" Phoebe asked him.

"Oh me? I'm not that fit." Marvin said as he flexed a little, which only showed a decent amount of muscle. "But my parents take me outdoors most of the time and my friends also like doing outdoor games. I guess I hit the gym every once in a while as well. Nothing special."

"That's c-cool." Phoebe said with a smile. "I'm s-sheltered so I don't go out much. I g-guess that's why I'm not good at physical challenges at all." She pouted.

"Don't worry. With enough exposure out here, you'll definitely get used to it." Marvin stated. "I once did a thesis about it in school. We studied sheltered people and their usual habits then have them go outside and do outdoor stuff for a month or so. The results were mostly positive." He shrugged. He then reached out and placed his hand on her shoulder. "You'll be fine."

"Thanks. I h-hope people are as n-nice as you." Phoebe said as she got closer to him.

"Well I'm just saying what I know is right." Marvin chuckled. Phoebe spread out her arms in front of her. "Um, what are you doing?"

"H-Hug!" Phoebe exclaimed happily. The two hugged for a while and were soon caught by Nelly who was strolling through the forest.

The nerd cleared her throat which prompted the two to break apart and look at her in shock. "PDA." She deadpanned. "Actually, you know what? I don't freaking care." She went the other way, leaving the two staring after her.

 **~Confessional~**

 **Marvin:** *is blushing* Hugging Phoebe is nice. I really wish I have the confidence to tell her how I feel. Maybe I should ask Valerie how she does it. She looks like someone who says what's on their mind often, if not always.

 **Phoebe:** N-Now that I t-think about it, me b-being sheltered makes me n-not so good with p-people too. I'm glad that m-most of my teammates are s-such friendly people. I w-wish Cyrus could be more l-like Marvin. *sighs*

 **Nelly:** I miss my girlfriend back home. Don't worry Silvia, I still love you. Sure I get distracted by Wesley's looks every once in a while but I swear I'm loyal to you. But still, Marvin and Phoebe, huh? Who knew?

 **~End Confessional~**

Cassie and Valerie were strolling through the forest together.

"I thought you'd be exercising right about now." Valerie noted. "You know, since you're our challenge asset and all."

"Aw, shucks. Y'all think I'm that important to the team?" Cassie tipped her hat backward. "There's still Shane y'know."

"Yeah, Shane is hot and such a bad boy~" Valerie purred. "But let's face it, he's more of a wild card on this team."

"At least he's more helpful than Cyrus. That boy is just plain mean." Cassie shook her head.

"I agree with you there." Valerie giggled. "I thought Cyrus could be such a hot guy, but his personality is such a turn-off. Poor Phoebe."

"Let's eliminate him the next chance we get. We can even get Phoebe, Marvin, and Ivy to join us." Cassie stated.

"Oooh~ Is this an alliance offer? A rather large one too. I like it large~" Valerie winked and skipped ahead. "I'll join! I wanna eliminate that edgy emo too."

"Of course, I'm gonna still try to win us some challenges so we never have to face elimination again." Cassie declared. "Just wanted to make sure we got options if we do."

"Yeah but it sucks what happened last night." Valerie pouted. "The hot detective went home."

"Oh ya mean Nicholas? Well at least I ain't gonna have a hard time now." Cassie chuckled.

"But this is a serious issue. We're losing hot guys!" Valerie exclaimed.

"How about the Red Sith? Don't anyone there strike your fancy?" Cassie asked.

"Well Desmond is strong and hot." Valerie remarked. "Terrance has this nerdy independent appeal so that's hot too~ But who I really like is Wesley!" She exclaimed gleefully and then sighed dreamily.

"Wesley, eh? He's alright." Cassie shrugged.

"Alright? ALRIGHT!?" Valerie turned around to face her and grabbed her shoulders. "That gentleman is the epitome of beauty! He's good looking and he dresses well and he's nice to others. It's beautiful and hot and sexy~" She sighed dreamily again as she let go of Cassie and stared up at the sky in a daze. Cassie just shrugged at the camera.

 **~Confessional~**

 **Cassie:** I already got my eye on someone from back home so I ain't really available. And Wesley is an alright guy be he ain't really my type. Though I guess he's Valerie's type, but then again who isn't?

 **~End Confessional~**

Shane and Cyrus were inside the outpost eating breakfast with Ivy. None of them initiated conversation and just ate in silence. Ivy picked up her spoon and was about to place the food in her mouth when she just stared blackly at her spoon and the food in it. The others noticed it and glanced at each other for a while before looking back at her.

"So, you gonna eat that?" Cyrus finally asked Ivy. She looked at him, though her eyes seem distant.

"What the hell is with you anyway?" Shane scoffed as he snapped his fingers in front of her face. That brought her back to reality as she blinked a few times.

"Oh, um, sorry." Ivy said a bit softly. She then ate the food that was on her spoon.

"What do you even think of when you space out like that?" Cyrus asked as he finished eating and laid back on his chair.

"Oh, I guess I never told you guys." Ivy realized. "I think of the plot for my new book, and for the manga I'm drawing."

"What?" Cyrus said, wide eyed. "Wait you write a book AND draw manga?"

"Yes. Why?" Ivy tilted her head.

"Do you even sleep at all?" Cyrus asked.

"Look who's talking." Shane smirked. "You're the one who looks insomniac."

"Shut up. You look nocturnal too, you freak." Cyrus retorted.

"I'm the freak? Have you looked at a mirror lately?" Shane countered.

Ivy just glanced back and forth at the two boys who continue to argue as she kept eating.

"You look like a rapist from a dark alley." Cyrus snorted. "I bet that's why you're edgy today. Haven't got laid lately?"

"Speaking of getting laid, I hope you don't get any." Shane gave a side grin. "It would suck if your kind multiplied."

"Like anyone would want you." Cyrus countered back, but his voice somehow shook and he didn't seem confident.

"That's all you got? Come back when you're living up to your stereotype." Shane smirked before getting up, patting Cyrus in the shoulder mockingly, and then head outside.

 **~Confessional~**

 **Ivy:** Yes, this argument just now would make the perfect addition to this new conflict scene I just thought up for my new book called "Dark Alleyways".

 **Cyrus:** Shane is the kind of person that is both strong and street smart which is honestly pretty easy to paint a target on. But damn, these people hate me more and tolerate him just before he can bring the muscle in challenges. I gotta find someone gullible to side with me. Maybe Ivy would work.

 **Shane:** While I do get that Phoebe is weak and pathetic, Cyrus is proving to be more and more annoying. I wonder who I should vote off next?

 **~End Confessional~**

* * *

Chris' hologram appeared on each team's outpost and began talking.

"Good morning, everyone! How was your morning?" He chuckled. "Actually, don't answer that. I already know how your mornings went." He laughed soon after. "Anyway, meet me in the clearing outside of the Red Sith outpost. The Blue Ardonians and Green Drell will be given portals to help you get there instantly." His hologram flickered out soon after.

A green portal opened up outside of the Green Drell's outpost.

"Well now we'll see how the other teams felt when they had to do this." Marvin remarked.

"It's safe anyway." Cassie shrugged as she went through first.

"I-I wanna g-go next." Phoebe declared meekly as she moved forward to go inside but Cyrus pushed her aside and went in first. "O-Ow." She pouted as she rubbed her left arm.

"That was just rude." Ivy went to Phoebe's side. "Are you okay?"

"Y-Yeah." The doll faced girl smiled up at her friend and both of them entered the portal. Marvin sighed when he saw this and went in after them.

"Sooo~" Valerie inched closer to Shane flirtatiously. "Wanna have some fun before the next challenge?"

"No." Shane said sternly and dismissively as he entered the portal. Valerie just pouted in frustration before entering as well.

When she emerged from the other side and into the clearing they were told to gather, she saw the rest of her team and the Red Sith too. The Blue Ardonians came from their portal not long after. Chris stands there at the middle, smirking.

"Alright, looks like that's everyone!" Chris announced.

"What will the challenge be this time, Chris?" Jane asked, all pumped up.

"Is it something physical? I hope it is." Arnold said also. Sarah giggled.

"That kinda sounded dirty." Sarah told him.

"Ahem." Chris said to get everyone's attention. "There will be no challenge yet, because I have something more important to announce!"

"What could be more important than telling us the challenge which could determine who loses and has to vote someone off tonight?" Cyrus deadpanned.

"I'm glad you asked, Cyrus. Because as of right now, your teams are forfeit!" Chris announced. "I will now be dividing you into two teams of nine."

This earned murmurs from the contestants. Some are shocked, others are happy, and few are distressed.

"Didn't see that coming." Desmond remarked to Terrance.

"But this is the best!" Terrance cheered. "No more putting up with Wesley and Nataline."

"Oh no." Lucy was teary eyed. "I'll miss my team." Her right eye flashed red for a moment but nobody noticed.

Nelly snorted. "I won't."

"Yay~ More boys to meet." Valerie exclaimed.

"Aw shucks." Cassie frowned.

"Those names I will now call will stand on my right." Chris told them. "Nataline."

The rich girl stood to his right.

"Lucy."

The soft spoken girl moved next to Nataline and both of them smiled at each other.

"Hello." Lucy greeted.

"Hello, Lucy." Nataline responded. "I'm glad we're on the same team now."

"Cyrus."

The emo boy grunted as he joined them.

"Wesley."

The foreign man smiled as he joined his new teammates.

"Ivy." No response or movement from the spaced out girl. "Ivy!"

"Oh sorry." She snapped back into reality and joined her new team.

"Tatiana."

The gamer girl cheered and joined her new party. "Hello new party!"

"Jude."

The marksman smiled as he joined them. He glanced at Lucy who smiled back at him which made him blush.

"Nelly."

The nerd rolled her eyes before joining her team. "Well as long as there's no Arnold."

"And the last member is...Terrance!"

"WHAT!?" The techie boy's mouth was agape as he glanced at Chris. He then groaned as he joined them, glaring at Nataline and Wesley in the process.

"From now on, you'll be known as the Cyan Protoss!" Chris announced with a smile. A large monster sized hologram appeared behind the new team in the form of a protoss zealot with his psionic blade at the ready.

"Hey this might actually be cool." Nelly remarked.

"Protoss, huh. Not bad." Terrance nodded in acknowledgment.

"What is a protoss?" Wesley asked both Nataline and Lucy, who only shrugged helplessly in response.

"You have to know Starcraft to get it." Jude told them.

"The rest of you, stand in my right." Chris ordered. The other contestants obeyed and stood to his right. "Valerie, Cassie, Desmond, Marvin, Sarah, Arnold, Phoebe, Jane, and Shane, you will not be known as the Silver Terminators!" He exclaimed.

Another large monster sized hologram appeared, this time behind the other team. It took the form of a terminator robot holding a rifle.

"This is sick! I love Terminator!" Sarah exclaimed.

"Me too!" Arnold exclaimed as well. The two high fived and blushed slightly afterwards.

"It l-looks scary." Phoebe cowered a bit.

"It's alright. It's just a hologram." Marvin assured her with a small smile. She slowly smiled back and nodded.

"Crap, I'm not with my alliance." Jane cursed under her breath.

"Finally, a fresh start." Desmond breathed.

"Okay then, now that we have the teams," Chris started. "It's time for your reward challenge."

"Reward challenge?" Ivy asked. "Is this one of those challenges where there is no elimination after the end."

"Right you are, Ivy!" Chris affirmed. "Today's challenge will only have a reward, no elimination."

"So what's the reward aside from the usual good food?" Marvin asked.

"A phone call." Chris stated.

"A phone call?" Jane echoed.

"Yes. A phone call from home." Chris elaborated. "The winning team will be able to go back to the real world for a while and call home. Maybe you guys want something delivered or just wanna say hi or whatever it is you kids talk about with your parents."

"That's awfully nice of you." Valerie complimented.

"It's also a way to tell them that you're happy you're still in the game before your inevitable elimination." Chris shrugged with a smirk.

"And...that's the punchline." Valerie sighed.

"So what's the challenge?" Arnold asked, excited.

"It's actually a pretty simple one." Chris said. "You guys play Battleship?"

"The game where you guess your shots?" Terrance raised an eyebrow.

"Oooh, I love that game!" Tatiana exclaimed. "Even though I never actually win." She added, less enthusiastic.

"Well the challenge has the same concept." Chris snapped his fingers and two panels flickered in front of Shane and Wesley. The panels are just large screens with one red button. There is a red dot blinking on the screen. "Each team will utilize their panels to guide electro blasts that will act as your weapon...in destroying the outposts of the Blue Ardonians and Green Drell. The first one destroyed wins."

"Cool! Wait, what?" Sarah blinked.

"Eek! O-Our outpost?" Phoebe was wide eyed.

"Don't care either way." Terrance shrugged nonchalantly.

"Just because your outpost isn't on the line?" Nelly scoffed and rolled her eyes.

"Um, Chris? It's all grids in here." Tatiana remarked as she examined their team's panels.

"Are we shooting blind?" Cassie asked the host.

"Yes and no." Chris responded. "Once you choose to shoot a specific area, that part will light up to reveal what you just shot."

"Hmm, this means that the advantage goes to those who have memorized the location of the outposts." Marvin remarked as he placed a hand on his chin.

"That's right." Chris grinned. "So let's hope you're all not strangers to your own land."

This earned a few worried glances from Cyrus, Ivy, Sarah, and Arnold.

"Shit, I wish I explored more." Cyrus cursed.

"Guess we've been indoors for too long." Sarah remarked to Arnold.

"I know right." Arnold agreed.

Nelly, Phoebe, and Cassie all looked much more confident.

"C-Cassie, it's a good thing we explored the forest." Phoebe smiled up at the ranch girl.

"Sure is." Cassie beamed.

"Don't worry, I know the area both in the Blue Ardonians and Green Drell side." Nelly smirked arrogantly.

"Yes that is fortunate." Wesley smiled. "I, for one, am rather unaware of what lies beyond our own outpost."

"It's because we travel by portals." Terrance gritted his teeth.

"Yeah, the Red Sith are at a disadvantage, aren't they?" Marvin pondered out loud.

"Don't count us out yet!" Tatiana said. "We'll win for sure."

"You're on." Shane grunted with a glare.

"I see we're all fired up." Chris remarked as he took out a coin. "Winner takes the Green Drell outpost. Shane, call it."

"Heads." The loner boy declared.

Chris flipped the coin and caught it. He placed it in the back of his palm and opened it to reveal...

"Tails!" The host announced. "The Cyan Protoss claim the Green Drell outpost. Silver Terminators, take the Blue Ardonian outpost. Oh and one more thing, each shot you take will make the electro blast smaller and smaller. So shoot wisely alright?" He chuckled.

 **~Confessional~**

 **Nataline:** Having Wesley and Lucy here on this new team with me will surely give me a better ground to stand on in this game. Now Cyrus and Terrance aren't likely to side with me, so I need to try and get Ivy, Jude, and Tatiana on my good side. It's high time I consider establishing potential allies to help me get to the merge at least.

 **Terrance:** Okay so this team can more or less screw me over. There are five girls here and one Wesley is enough to turn them into a large alliance. Wait, Nelly did mention that she's lesbian. Ugh, guess I need to ally with her in order to stand a chance here.

 **Lucy:** I'm glad my friend Nataline can be here in this team with me. Oh, and I'm also glad Jude is here. I hope we can watch each other's backs. Cyrus creeps me out though.

 **Cyrus:** I can tell I'll be hated here. Lucy gave me a weird look and I'm pretty sure Nataline is on my ass right now. *sigh* Is it so wrong to speak your mind and express yourself nowadays?

 **Marvin:** I'm honestly glad Phoebe is still here. This gives me an easier time to tell her how I feel. So what's stopping me? I don't know. Let me think about that. *ponders*

 **Jane:** Will you look at that, I got no more alliance. Perfect. Just. Perfect. I mean I could always ally with Cassie since we're both challenge threats and we need to support each other. I think I saw her talk to Phoebe too so this could be good. But if all else fails...*she takes out her Invincibility Statue* I've got a trump card.

 **~End Confessional~**

The Cyan Protoss members gathered around Wesley as he manned the panel.

"Nelly, you said you know the area around the Green Drell outpost right?" Nataline looked at the nerd.

"Yes." Nelly nodded. "But I don't know the actual aerial view. Go fire at the middle for starters."

"Firing at the center is the safest bet!" Tatiana agreed.

"Well the fog of war won't go anywhere." Terrance shrugged.

"Then I shall make it so." Wesley guided the mark to the center of the screen and then pressed the red button. They looked up in the distance and saw a giant electro blast rain down from the sky and crash down somewhere in the distance.

"Whoa." Nelly said in surprise and awe.

"Did we hit it?" Nataline asked as she peered into the screen. The screen showed the part where they hit, and all that's there are ruined trees.

"Guess not." Lucy sighed.

"The Cyan Protoss took their first shot." Chris announced as two blue holograms hovered around him. "And looks like it's a miss."

"Hurry, shoot something." Arnold urged Shane.

"I can't just shoot anywhere." Shane growled.

"Are you kidding me? Anywhere is the only place you can shoot." Jane retorted. She reached out and immediately pressed the red button, signaling the blast. The area shot was somewhere in the left side of the screen. The sound of the electro blast was heard and they all looked back at the screen to see the area revealed already. The blast zone was near the river side.

"You missed." Shane glared at Jane who just rolled her eyes.

"But at least we have a start. Now which one of you can guide us here?" Jane asked her new teammates.

"Me." Cassie announced. "Let's see here...Try there y'all." She pointed to a spot a bit upwards and near to the center. "Since we hit the river side, we should follow it there."

"Fine." Shane guided the mark towards where Cassie pointed and fired. Just then, the Cyan Protoss also fired and both electro blasts hit the ground at the same time.

"Both are a miss!" Chris announced with a laugh. "Man, do you guys really know your own outpost?"

"Shut up." Cyrus sneered.

"We're getting closer." Nelly said.

"But out shots are getting smaller." Terrance pointed out. "We should start making accurate predictions."

"Yeah I agree." Nelly nodded.

The Silver Terminators fired another shot.

"Just hurry up." Nataline crossed her arms.

"Missed!" Chris announced.

"We'll be fine." Terrance gritted his teeth.

Both Nelly and Terrance started talking in hushed tones.

"You think we can trust them?" Jude asked his team.

"I believe in Terrance's skill. He did very well in the last challenge." Wesley smiled.

"Hey I was the one who read the manual." Nataline pointed out. "He would not know what he was doing if it wasn't for me." She huffed.

"I think you both did great." Wesley praised with a smile.

 **~Confessional~**

 **Lucy:** *her right eye is red* I overheard their conversation. It looks like Terrance and Nataline aren't on the best of terms. That's good. Now I know how to play out my strategy. Hehehe.

 **Wesley:** Nataline and Terrance are such talented people. I really hope they learn to get along now. Of course, there is still the issue that Terrance hates me and I may not understand why. They say that the easy way out is to vote them off but I say that talking about it is much more fulfilling.

 **~End Confessional~**

The Silver Terminators fired another shot, but missed.

"Do you even know what you're doing!?" Shane snapped at Cassie.

"Yeah, it seems you're just taking random shots." Desmond pointed out.

"I'm not, y'all." Cassie defended. "It's just hard to do this."

"Just let me handle this!" Shane growled.

"P-Please don't fight." Phoebe pleaded to the both of them. "W-We're a team."

"Yeah. Arguing like this isn't good." Valerie agreed. "It certainly isn't hot either."

"You're just a stupid flirt." Shane snapped at her. "You're not even helping."

"Hey that's not nice." Valerie looked offended. "I do well in school."

"We're almost there guys." Jane said to them. "There's only a few areas left."

"Then we should think of our next shot carefully." Marvin told them. "Our shots are getting smaller after all."

"Go team!" Arnold and Sarah both cheered. They blushed and kissed afterwards.

"Hmmhmm~ That's hot." Valerie remarked with a giggle.

"Ew." Jane gagged.

"Aw~" Phoebe cooed.

"Anyways...What now?" Desmond tried to change the subject.

"We should aim there." Marvin pointed at the spot in between two revealed areas.

"Well here goes nothing." Shane grunted as he guided the mark to the spot he pointed at and was about to fire.

"Okay! We got it!" They heard Nelly exclaim from the other side. "Wesley! Over there!" She pointed at a darkened area and Wesley immediately guided the mark.

"What are you waiting for?" Desmond demanded. " Fire!"

Both Shane and Wesley pressed the red button at relatively the same time. The electro blasts filled up both skies and crashed down into the target locations.

"Both are hit!" Chris announced. "However, one of the blasts made touchdown first and gave that team the win. That team being.." He paused for effect.

.

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.

..."The Cyan Protoss!" The members of Cyan Protoss cheered.

"We did it!" Jude exclaimed.

"We get to call home." Lucy said happily, though not as loud.

"Yay..." Nataline cheered, unenthusiastic.

"Silver Terminators, you may head back now." Chris stated.

"Back where?" Arnold asked. "Our outpost got blown up, man."

"A-are we going to sleep o-outside?" Phoebe asked fearfully. "What i-if the scary animals eat us i-in our sleep!?"

"There aren't any of those here, Phoebe." Marvin assured her. "I'm sure Chris already removed the obstacles during the first challenge."

"Yeah I did, regretfully." Chris sighed in disappointment. He snapped his fingers and two portals appeared in front of the two teams. "These portals will lead you to your new outpost. But the Cyan Protoss will not be going back yet." He motioned upward and they saw the large beam of light charging up above the heads of the winning team.

"Well I've always wanted to know how this felt like." Terrance adjusted his glasses.

"Don't worry, I'll make sure you get hit a second time." Nataline smirked at him.

The Silver Terminators entered the portal just as the beam of light shone down on the Cyan Protoss.

* * *

The members of Team Cyan Protoss awoke in their pods. They opened it to get out and stretch a bit.

"Oh man, it feels good to be back in reality again." Jude remarked as he stretched high.

"I kinda liked always being in that world." Tatiana said. "But the real world is fun too."

"Oh, we're here." Ivy remarked as she looked around. "I must have been dozing off again."

"I am quite excited to call my mother and father." Wesley stated with a smile. "How about you, Nataline?"

Nataline was looking down, not saying anything.

"Um, Nataline?" Wesley asked with concern.

"Oh! Yes, the call. I am excited too." She forced a smile.

"You guys better be." Chris said as he approached them. "The phone booths are outside. Go ahead and say hi or whatever."

"Can some of us just stay here?" Cyrus asked. "I don't wanna call them."

"Fine by me. But I don't see why you'd miss out on it." Chris shrugged.

"It's none of your business." Cyrus muttered.

"I would like to decline the reward too." Lucy said to Chris.

"Suit yourself." Chris shook his head. "The rest of you, you can make your calls now." Everyone except for Lucy, Cyrus, and Nataline went outside.

"Why are you staying?" The emo boy asked Nataline. She remained silent, however. "Whatever." He rolled his eyes.

 **~Phone Call: Tatiana~**

The gamer girl picked up the phone and dialed her house's telephone number. After a while of ringing, someone answered the phone.

"Hello?" A female voice said.

"Mom! It's me, Tatiana." Tatiana exclaimed happily.

"Oh!" Her mother sounded surprised but happy. "How are you dear? I thought you were in a reality show. Did you get eliminated?"

"No no it's not like that, mom." Tatiana chuckled. "Our team won the challenge and our reward is a phone call home. Isn't it great?"

"Congratulations, dear. I'm so proud of you." Her mother said. "Your little sister has been watching your season lately. He did say something interesting though."

"Huh? What is it?" Tatiana asked, confused.

"Who is this Terrance person? Regina also told me that you pressed up against him in a bath towel in one episode." Her mom said.

"What!?" The gamer girl blushed madly. "Hey, wait! I can explain! I was just so mad that my best friend got voted off and I stormed towards him and I was too angry to put on any actual clothes! Believe me!"

"Mmmhmm." Her mom said.

"MOOOOM!" She whined. "I swear I'm not-" The line cut off as the minutes ended.

"Tatiana, your time is up." Chris told her.

"What!? Come on!" She whined.

 **~Phone Call: Jude~**

The phone rang for a while before someone answered the phone.

"Hello?" Jude started.

"Jude? Is that you?" The voice was that of a little girl. "Heya Jude!"

"Yeah yeah it's me." Jude smiled. "How are you? Is dad home?"

"Nope. He's still at work." The girl seemed sad.

"Hey it's alright." Jude assured her. "He IS working hard for the two of us."

"Yeah I know." She responded.

"Don't worry, when I win the money, we will live better." Jude exclaimed.

"Thanks big bro!" The little girl giggled. "But really, as long as you're happy, we're happy too!"

"Thanks, Nicky." Jude said softly. "I'll definitely make the most out of it."

"Oh yeah, there's something you should know about the girl you like." Nicky said.

"You mean Lucy? What about her?" Jude asked.

"Well I get that you like her and all. But I watched her confessionals." Nicky said, a bit worried. "She's kinda e-" The line cut off as the minutes ended.

"Hey what? Hello?" Jude said into the phone but received no answer.

"Sorry man, time's up." Chris told him.

"But she was gonna tell me something important." Jude argued.

"Don't care." Chris shrugged.

 **~Phone Call: Terrance~**

"Come on, pick up." Terrance said to himself as the phone rang. "They better stay away from my stuff." He muttered.

"Hello?" A male voice said as the call was answered.

"Dad, it's me, Terrance." Terrance said.

"Oh hey son. It's nice hearing from you." Terrance's dad said from the other side of the line.

"Yeah okay, can I ask you something?" He told his father.

"Yes of course, what is it?" His dad replied.

"Can you tell them to not touch my stuff please?" Terrance requested.

"Who, your sisters? Yeah sure." His dad answered. "Not that they have actually tried doing it yet but sure."

"Thanks dad." Terrance breathed. "Oh and did you watch the latest episode?"

"Yes, with your sisters." His dad said. "Oh wait, I see. You wanna talk about 'that' huh?"

"Look dad, I'm not a pervert!" Terrance said desperately. "Tatiana was the one who went up to my face and it was dark inside the hatch so I couldn't see Nataline when I felt around for the screws."

"Uh huh." His dad said. "Oh wait, Sam wants to talk to you."

There was silence for a while until a female voice spoke up.

"Yo Terrance!"

"Hey sup Sam." Terrance greeted his sister.

"So how did it feel?" Sam asked teasingly.

"How did what- Really? Really Sam?" Terrance deadpanned.

"Hey Tatiana has a good pair you know. But what about Nataline? Was she good too?~" She continued to tease.

"Now you listen here-" The line got cut off before he could say anything else. "Damn! Out of time." He said through gritted teeth.

Chris was chuckling from outside.

"It's not funny!" The techie boy insisted but his face was flustered.

 **~Phone Call: Nelly~**

The nerd girl waited a while as the phone rang. After a short while, the line was picked up.

"Hello? Mrs. Watson? It's Nelly." Nelly started.

"Oh hello Nelly." Mrs. Watson greeted back. "How are you? Silvia said you're doing great in the game."

"Yeah it's been a blast." Nelly smirked and rolled her eyes.

"Are you calling from a phone booth? Maybe you'd like to talk to Silvia." Mrs. Watson suggested.

"Yeah that'd be great, thanks." Nelly said happily. There was silence as the mother called Silvia's name. After a while, Silvia picked up the phone.

"Hey Nelly!" Silvia greeted happily.

"Hey Silvia! Long time no chat." Nelly smirked.

"I know right." Silvia agreed. "But hey, you're holding up great in there. Did you win a challenge and got this reward?"

"You know it." Nelly smirked. "And of course I'm doing great. What am I, premerge boot?"

"Don't jinx it." Silvia warned but laughed lightly.

"You should sign up sometime." Nelly told her girlfriend.

"I did. It's for Total Drama Forgotten Island." Silvia exclaimed. "I already sent in my audition tape. Just gotta wait for their response."

"Wait what? There's another season?" Nelly went wide eyed. "Who's hosting? Chris is right here."

"I don't know yet. But the application and flyer was real, I checked." Silvia affirmed.

"Well I hope you get in. So that I can watch you on tv." Nelly smirked.

"I'm wearing my stormtrooper suit there." Silvia stated.

"Hey, points for unique clothes." Nelly laughed and so did her girlfriend. "Anyway, I think my time is almost up."

"Alright. See ya, Nelly!" Silvia said. "Hope you win!" She added.

"I will." Nelly grinned as she put the phone back.

Chris checked his watch. "And a second to spare." He remarked. Nelly gave a thumbs up.

 **~Phone Call: Wesley~**

The foreign boy smiled as he waited for the other line to pick up.

"Good evening." The voice on the other side said.

"Father!" Wesley exclaimed happily. "It is I, Wesley."

"Wesley, how nice of you to call." Wesley's father sounded happy. "Honey, Wesley is on the phone." There was a beep sound afterwards.

"Oh hello, dear. We're so glad you called." It was Wesley's mother talking now.

"Yes, we made sure to watch a few episodes when we have time in our hands." Wesley's father said.

"That is good to hear." Wesley smiled. "I am having a good time here, of course. I made many friends."

"That's good to hear, son." Wesley's father praised.

"Also, is it true that the girl in your team is THE Nataline Louise?" Wesley's mother asked.

"Yes. It is truly her." Wesley confirmed.

"Ah yes, this is good news. A connection with the Louise family will help us with our international market and influence." Wesley's father remarked.

"If I may ask, from what country is the Louise family?" Wesley asked his parents.

"Belarus." His mother answered him. "You may not be aware, but her family holds a strong influence in both the government and the church."

"An alliance with them will benefit both families." Wesley's father added.

"I understand. She is a good person." Wesley smiled.

"But do not place that thought in the forefront of your mind, dear." His mother told him. "First and foremost, we want you to have a good time. Even though you represent our family in that season, we want you to have fun. We heard it is a once in a lifetime opportunity."

"And you will be coming of age soon." His father added. "We want you to enjoy your time there and make some friends. Connections are good both in business and out of it. Remember it well, my son."

"I will. Thank you, both of you." Wesley said to them. "You've always been so supportive of me. I wish to return the favor by succeeding the family legacy." He declared.

"We know you can do it." His mother said with a light laugh. "We should be going now. We have a meeting later and we wish not to be tardy."

"Of course. Pardon me for taking your time." Wesley apologized.

"It is no problem at all. We are glad you called." His father replied.

"Then I will see you both soon." Wesley said as he put back the phone and ended the call.

"You know, you had more time." Chris told him from outside.

"I do not wish to trouble them any further." Wesley smiled. "Business is important after all."

 **~Phone Call: Ivy~**

The phone rang for a long while.

"Perhaps they are not home." Ivy said to herself.

The phone was answered before Ivy placed it back on the booth.

"Hello? Hello?" The voice on the other side said, belonging to a boy.

"Xavier?" Ivy said the boy's name. "I called to check in on you guys."

"Oh it's you, Ivy." Xavier responded. "Sorry about that. We were in the middle of watching a movie marathon."

"I see. Sorry to bother you." Ivy frowned.

"Hey it's fine. At least I got to hear from you." Xavier assured her. "How's the game? I mean, I only watched a few episodes though so I'm not updated."

"It's been good." Ivy replied. "I met some good people."

"Yo, is Nicholas there?" Xavier asked excitedly. "I like that guy."

"He's been eliminated already." Ivy said sadly. "I don't know much on the details."

"What!? Aw man." Xavier exclaimed in disappointment. "Can I at least say hi to Tatiana? She's adorable." He chuckled.

"Yes you do have a soft spot for them." Ivy smiled. "Okay, hold on." She peeked outside. "Tatiana! Tatiana!" She tried to scream her name but it wasn't that loud. Luckily, the gamer girl was nearby so she immediately rushed over to her side.

"Yeah?" Tatiana asked. "What's up?"

"My brother wants to say hi to you." Ivy said.

"Sure thing! I love talking to fans!" Tatiana exclaimed. She took the phone from Ivy. "Hi!"

"Oh my God, is it really you?" Xavier said from the other side, clearly all giddy and excited. "I'm Xavier. I'm a big fan." He introduced himself.

"Tatiana the Chocobo Slayer, at your service." Tatiana greeted back with a grin.

"Hey so what kind of games do you really like? Do you like Terrance or Jane more? Can I have your hat? What's your size-"

"Hey hey, slow down." Tatiana chuckled. "We got a limited time only and you should spend it talking to Ivy." Ivy made a gesture to indicate that it's okay. "Oh wait, nevermind. She said it's fine."

"Cool. So?" Xavier said expectantly.

"So I like Team Fortress 2 and Sims 4, I'm not answering that second question." She blushed slightly. "And you can buy this hat at a nearby merch store, and my size? I don't know about that exactly." She said in embarrassment.

"Cool!" Xavier exclaimed. "I like Team Fortress too! Let's play sometime."

"Sure thing!" Tatiana beamed.

Before she can continue, the line was dropped. They both saw that the minutes were up.

"Time's up." Chris said. "And seriously, Tatiana had two calls?"

"Hehehe." Tatiana rubbed the back of her head. "Your brother looks really cool, Ivy."

"Yeah." Ivy nodded. "He's the gamer in the family."

"Well I can see why he'd want to talk to me then." Tatiana beamed.

"Since you were the last one to want a phone call, it's time to head back." Chris told the two girls.

As they headed back inside, Tatiana saw Nataline by herself, wiping away some tears from her face. She went over to her and tapped her shoulder.

"Is something wrong?" The gamer girl asked her friend. "Why are you crying?"

"It's...it's nothing." Nataline said as she tried to compose herself. "Really."

"You know you can talk to me if you're sad." Tatiana told her. "Is it Terrance again?"

"No...No it's not about him." Nataline bit her lip. "It's just..." She sobbed again.

Tatiana placed a hand on her shoulder. "Why? What's wrong?"

"Everyone is so happy..." Nataline mentioned as she saw Nelly and Terrance in the distance, the former laughing and smiling as she talked to him. She glanced and saw Wesley follow them with a satisfied smile on his face. "Because they got to talk to their loved ones."

"Well why didn't you want to call home?" Tatiana asked her. "Are your parents not home?"

Nataline bit her fingernails and reluctantly nodded. "..Yes. My father and mother are away on a business trip." She lied. "I guess I'm sad that they wouldn't have time to talk to me."

"Well I'm sure they're supporting you." Tatiana smiled encouragingly. "I'm sure they're thinking of you even from far away."

"...Yeah..." Nataline gave a sad smile. "...I wish that was the case.." She mumbled under her breath so Tatiana couldn't hear.

"Come on, let's head back." Tatiana said. "The others are waiting for us." Nataline silently nodded as the two joined the rest of their team.

* * *

Chris stood outside of the Drama Dome with his trademark grin. "The new teams have been set up and the Cyan Protoss won their first challenge. What new drama will unfold with this change? What will Jane do now that she is separated from her alliance? Is Lucy doomed now that Arnold and Sarah aren't with her anymore? And will Nataline be able to put together an alliance for her own safety? Find out next time on Total...Drama...Sci-Fi Showdown!" The camera shut off.

* * *

 **And that's the end of that chapter. :) Sorry it was kinda short. :( But anyway, I hope you liked the reward challenge and the reward itself. I did carefully plan out these new teams, so try to guess why they were arranged like that. And I will be making another season soon called Total Drama Forgotten Island. It will most likely be posted once this cast hit merge, so stay tuned for that! You can leave a review to tell me what you think of the new teams and what you think of the chapter overall. Peace out! :) XBloodLegendX**


	9. Chapter 9: Advanced Robotics

**I had fun writing that reward challenge, but now it's time to get serious and go back to the good ol' elimination ceremonies. Thanks again for sticking with me as I write this story. :) XBloodLegendX**

* * *

Chris stands beside the large hologram inside the Drama Dome, flashing his signature smile. "Last time on Total Drama Sci-Fi Showdown..." He started. "The eighteen contestants were divided into two groups of nine. This was met by mixed reactions from everyone. Terrance was initially excited that he won't be in a team with Wesley and Nataline, only to find out that he's still stuck with them." He chuckled.

"Jude was happy that Lucy is still on the same team as he is, and the red eyed strategist saw the silver lining in this by aiming to rope in Nataline as part of her alliance." Chris continued. "Nataline herself was glad that Lucy and Wesley are with her in the team, and is now plotting to create an alliance to control the team."

"Over at the Silver Terminators side, Jane realized that she has to start all over again knowing that her alliance is on the opposite team but is confident in her Invincibility Statue to keep her safe." Chris said. "Marvin is glad that Phoebe is on the same team as he is, but the dude wouldn't make a move already so it doesn't matter." He shrugged.

The hologram showed the panels and the electro blasts. "For this challenge, they played a game similar to Battleship. Except this time their goal was to destroy the Green Drell's and the Blue Ardonians' outposts. The Cyan Protoss had an advantage as Nelly was aware of the area around the Green Drell outpost, and did calculated shots to save up on blast radius. The Silver Terminators, on the other hand, had Cassie as their guide though she wasn't as effective as Nelly which meant that they wasted more shots than the Cyan Protoss."

The hologram then showed the Cyan Protoss cheering in victory. "It was a close call, but the Cyan Protoss won the challenge and the reward that goes with it." Chris motioned to the pods. "The team returned to the real world to go to the phone booth and get a few minutes of talking to their loved ones. Everyone except for Lucy, Nataline, and Cyrus."

Chris spread out his arms in a dramatic fashion. "The new teams have been made, but how will that change our contestants' gameplay? Will Terrance turn the tides against the people he hates? Is Lucy's strategic plan starting to fail, or take on a new path? Will Tatiana succeed in making peace between Nataline and Terrance? How will Jane adjust to her new teammates? Will Marvin ever confess to Phoebe that he likes her? Find out now on Total...Drama...Sci-Fi Showdown!"

* * *

 **(Silver Terminators)**

The camera pans in to reveal the new outpost for the Silver Terminators. It is a two story house with a futuristic design and silver highlights. Mounted on the roof of the outpost was a giant terminator head, eyes glowing red and with a black colored face. On the first floor is the living room, the confessional booth, two bathrooms for boys and girls respectively, and a locked room with only three printed pixel cubes as a design on the door. On the second floor of the outpost are two rooms which are the bedrooms of the boys and girls respectively.

Cassie went outside the girls' bedroom and stretched her arms. Jane followed her outside as well.

"Morning, Cassie." Jane greeted.

"Mornin'." Cassie greeted back. "You're up early."

"Always." Jane smirked. "Aside from being the first to get breakfast, it's peaceful early in the morning."

"Ya got that right." Cassie grinned. "Gonna go take a jog around before taking a bite though. Wanna join in?"

"Don't see why not." Jane shrugged. "Maybe I really should get a good grasp on the land." She shook her head and they both went downstairs.

When they entered the living room, they saw Shane and Desmond eating breakfast which was spaghetti and a glass of orange juice.

"Hey boys." Jane greeted the two.

"Good morning." Desmond greeted. Shane just grunted in response.

"Not a morning person?" Jane smirked at Shane.

"Shut up." Shane responded harshly.

"He's always like that." Cassie shrugged. "Don't mind him much."

"Tsk." Was all Shane's response before he finished eating his spaghetti and moved to go to the bathroom.

"Good that he's gone for a while." Desmond sighed.

"Did you guys even talk or anything?" Jane asked Desmond.

"Nope. Stayed silent all throughout breakfast." The boy responded as he drank some of his orange juice. "I don't think he's one for conversation."

"He isn't." Cassie nodded. "He just does his own thing. We just don't make it an issue cuz he pulls his own weight in challenges. Oh and save some food for us, will ya? We'll be outside a bit." She and Jane went outside.

"Sure." Desmond said as he finished his juice. He then sighed again after they left.

 **~Confessional~**

 **Desmond:** I know I said that being in a new team means a fresh start but by the looks of it, it won't be easy. Should I get Shane's loyalty? Should I stick with Jane instead because she's an old teammate? Or should I just lay low for a while and hope I can drift on by? No, the third one sounds stupid since it usually works in the merge. I'll end up like Betty and Felix if I sit idly by.

 **Jane:** Even though Cassie could make for a good alliance member, I should keep in mind that she is also a challenge threat. That reward of hers from the Awake-a-Thon challenge is proof of that. She does work hard at this game by exercising in the morning though. I hope her social game isn't good so I can vote her out easily. I need to keep the target off my back after all. I guess I really shouldn't have taken Betty's vote for granted. But it's not fair! I didn't see this team swap coming!

 **Cassie:** Ya know what i like about this team? It's that none of 'em look like slackers to me. They all look like they can pull their own weight in challenges except I don't know about Valerie. She's my friend yeah, but I ain't sure if the others are gonna target her for being weak y'know. Wait a minute, that also means little Phoebe might be targeted too. This suddenly got complex y'all.

 **~End Confessional~**

Valerie woke up from her sleep and yawned lightly. She saw that Cassie and Jane are not in bed anymore.

"How do those people wake up so early?" She said to herself.

"W-Wha-!? W-Who's there!?" Phoebe jolted upwards, now wide awake. Because of her sudden outburst, Sarah woke up groggily too.

"Yo...What's with the noise?" The guitarist asked with a yawn.

"Phoebe screamed for no reason." Valerie told her. "Are you a light sleeper?" She asked the doll faced girl.

"Y-Yes. I easily wake up even at the slightest of s-sounds." Phoebe said.

"So if someone tosses and turns in their sleep...?" Sarah asked her.

"I o-open my eyes t-to find the source." Phoebe answered with a nod. "S-Sorry if I woke you u-up." She pouted as she looked down.

"Hey it's no big deal. We really should be up anyway." Sarah said with a light laugh. "How could anyone get mad at someone as cute as you?" She added.

"I know right." Valerie agreed. "Even without make-up she's cute. How do you not have a boyfriend?" She faced Phoebe.

"I d-don't get out much. A-And my anxiety m-makes me bad at s-s-socializing." Phoebe admitted.

"Yo that sucks." Sarah said. "Even though we aren't from the same team, I can tell we'll get along just fine. You like rock music?"

"Not s-so much. I d-don't like the screamer part." Phoebe told her.

"Hey it's fine. My band only has one song with a screamer part anyway." Sarah said. "We focus on alternative rock anyway."

"Oooh, that's nice~" Valerie remarked. "I like all music genres actually. Each of them are good mood setters."

"Yeah I feel you." Sarah agreed. "How about you, Phoebe? What's your taste?"

"That sounded kinky." Valerie chuckled.

"I like classical music." Phoebe answered. "I play the v-violin."

"That's cool too." Sarah nodded. "Do you compose your own songs?"

"Y-Yes. I-I don't t-think it's all that good though." Phoebe said in embarrassment.

"Hey don't say that. Music is an art!" Sarah exclaimed proudly.

"You sound like Richard." Valerie looked baffled and Phoebe just giggled softly.

"Don't spoil the moment." Sarah said with a poker face. "Anyway, you should totally let us hear your jam." She told Phoebe. "I wonder if Chris will let you have one."

"Maybe it'll be a reward." Valerie shrugged.

"Hope so. So far only Cassie has an instrument here." Sarah sighed. "Has she ever played yet?"

"Not that I'm aware of." Valerie tapped her chin in thought. "She usually just exercises outside."

"Well that sucks. Rewards don't work that way." Sarah said.

"M-Maybe Cassie will play if w-we ask her nicely." Phoebe suggested.

"I love how you sound so innocent even when making requests." Sarah noted.

"I know right. Such a precious little thing.~" Valerie agreed. Phoebe smiled cutely then hid her face in embarrassment. The both of them just laughed.

 **~Confessional~**

 **Valerie:** This new team isn't half bad. I mean we got Desmond and Marvin here. Oh and Arnold too but he's taken. But I kinda wish I was in Wesley's team. Maybe Ivy would be fine if we switched. *she sighs dreamily*

 **Sarah:** So we got someone who's into classical music, someone who's into country music, and someone who's okay with any genre of music. I like the diversity we got here but seriously, no one is playing their jam! What's the use!?

 **Phoebe:** S-Sarah seems like a n-nice person. I usually imagine rockers to be um, r-really intimidating people who p-push you around and yell at your face most of t-the time. But I-I think I can g-get along with her just fine. A-Actually, it would be nice if I can practice playing the v-v-violin here. I w-wonder what a sci-fi violin l-looks like.

 **~End Confessional~**

Arnold and Marvin were walking outside of the outpost.

"The beds are comfier than the ones back at our old outpost, don't you think?" Marvin pondered aloud, glancing at the soccer player.

"You said it." Arnold agreed. "Can't wait for the next challenge though. I wanna see what physical activities we do next." He pumped his fist in the air.

"Yes, physical challenges seem to be beneficial to us." Marvin thought out loud. "You see, when I started comparing our team with the other team, it looks like we're the overall stronger team."

"Whoa, really? Well that's great!" Arnold exclaimed. "Now we'll definitely keep winning challenges. I need more victories after my old team's loses. We lost the most members, yo."

"Yes that's true." Marvin nodded. "But we shouldn't get cocky. The Cyan Protoss did win yesterday's challenge. And after that reward they had, you can expect them to be highly motivated, don't you think?"

"Yeah. Morale is pretty important." Arnold agreed. "I know! Let's go motivate our team before the challenge! Pep talks and all that." He suggested.

"Oh right. You're the team captain in your soccer team so you would know how to do one." Marvin remarked.

"Yep. Totally gave a few of those back home. It'll totally work here." Arnold nodded.

"I hope so. Oh yeah, Phoebe usually exercises at this time." Marvin realized. "Sorry, I should go." He went back towards the outpost, leaving Arnold behind.

"But it's our bro time. Even though we're not technically bros." Arnold scratched the back of his head in confusion.

 **~Confessional~**

 **Arnold:** What's Marvin got to do with Phoebe? Is he her personal trainer or something? Now that I mention it, Phoebe is the weakest link on the team literally. I wonder if we get to vote her out if we lose.

 **Marvin:** Because we're the physically stronger team, it'll be easy to find an excuse to vote off Phoebe. If saving her from potential elimination isn't an option, then at least let me make my feelings clear to her.

 **~End Confessional~**

* * *

 **(Cyan Protoss)**

The Cyan Protoss outpost was similar to that of the one with the Silver Terminators, but this time it had cyan highlights and mounted on the roof is the head of a protoss wearing a helmet and with blue glowing eyes. The interior design of the outpost is a carbon copy of that of the other outpost.

Lucy woke up early and went downstairs to find that no one is currently eating breakfast.

"I could have sworn Tatiana went downstairs before me." Lucy said softly. She saw that a few fruits have been taken as well as some pudding.

"Good morning Lucy." Nataline greeted her as she went downstairs as well. "Have you eaten yet?"

"No." Lucy answered. "I just got here too."

"Really? Then who ate some of this food?" Nataline tilted her head. Lucy just shrugged. "No matter. Let's have breakfast first."

"Okay." Lucy smiled as the two sat down and ate their food.

"How do you like our team so far?" Nataline asked her friend as she ate some pudding.

"I kinda like it. Jude and I are close back in my old team." Lucy remarked. "And you're here too, which makes it good. The only problem I have is with...um...Cyrus." She admitted.

"Why? Did he say something bad to you or anything?" Nataline raised her eyebrow. "If so then just ignore him, dear. He's harmless." She shrugged.

"Oh no, he didn't really do anything bad to me. I just don't like the way he dresses." Lucy said with a frown. "Is that bad? Am I being discriminating?"

"Well anyone is entitled to their opinions and taste." Nataline said. "But you have to know that he is a pretty mean person."

"Yeah, I heard what he said to you in that one challenge." Lucy nodded.

"Granted, I did lose my composure." Nataline leaned back in her seat. "I'll try not to let it happen again. It's not good for the team."

"We should try and help each other out then." Lucy suggested. "Maybe even be in an alliance."

Nataline smiled. "Yes, we should."

 **~Confessional~**

 **Nataline:** This is working! Lucy has already proposed we be in an alliance. Now I need to talk to Wesley to see if he would like to be a part of it. Lucy said that Jude is her friend so I don't need to talk to him first.

 **Lucy:** I don't know much about the people here in my new team so I think getting into an alliance with Nataline is a safe option for me. She's a good friend and also good in challenges. *her right eye suddenly flashes red* She is the perfect scapegoat in the merge for me. Ehehehe.

 **~End Confessional~**

Wesley and Cyrus woke up at the same time in the boys bedroom. Jude had already gone to the bathroom to take a bath and Terrance isn't in the room so the two of them were the only ones left.

"Good morning to you, Cyrus." Wesley greeted the emo boy with a smile.

"What do you want?" Cyrus groaned as he got out of bed.

"I was merely greeting you." Wesley said. "I had hoped you would extend the gesture. We are in the same team now, after all."

"Doesn't matter." Cyrus snickered. "I'll just have to vote you out at the next elimination. You don't deserve to be here anyway."

"That is rather harsh, don't you think?" Wesley slightly frowned.

"Call me what you want. I'm used to it." Cyrus sneered.

"And may I ask why you think that I do not deserve to be here?" Wesley asked him in a friendly manner.

"It's because look at you!" Cyrus gestured to Wesley's entire being. "You're rich and popular already, aren't you? Well you make yourself up to be like that I think but anyway- why are you participating in here against a bunch of other teens who aren't as rich and famous as you are?" He snapped at the foreign boy.

"We are all here for our own reasons." Wesley tried to calm him down. "There is no need to feel offended."

"Um, yes it is." Cyrus scoffed. "Some of us here really need the money. Others really want to be famous. I'm pretty sure you can dish out a million dollars any day anyway."

"While that may be true, I am still a contestant like everyone else." Wesley said.

"But you don't deserve to get far." Cyrus glared at him as he moved towards the bedroom door. "In fact, imagine if you won it all. That's pretty disgusting in itself." He spat as he opened it and left.

"Now that is not fair, I'd say." Wesley frowned but the other boy was already out of earshot.

 **~Confessional~**

 **Cyrus:** I don't care if Wesley acts like a goody two shoes or something like that, he doesn't really deserve to get far in this game. In fact, what was Chris even thinking letting him into this cast anyway? Okay sure I'm just here for some inspiration but I'm more entitled than he is. Stupid foreign nice people. *he muttered under his breath*

 **Wesley:** What Cyrus said is will most likely be the motivation he will use to vote me out. I do not like to compare, but he reminds me of Terrance in a way. Perhaps I should indulge myself into figuring out this hostility myself and hoping to calm them both down. I do not want this to escalate any further.

 **~End Confessional~**

Ivy went outside of the bathroom and saw Nelly going downstairs.

"Oh hello Nelly." Ivy greeted her. "How's your morning?"

"I need food." Nelly sighed. "Have you seen Tatiana?"

"No not really. Why?" Ivy tilted her head.

"Nothing." Nelly shook her head as she saw the table with food. "Crap, I should get going." She hurried out the door.

"But what about breakfast?" Ivy called out to her.

"Don't worry about me!" Nelly called back. She ran away from the outpost and Ivy stood there by the entrance, confused.

"What an unusual fellow." Ivy said in a distant voice. She went back inside and saw Wesley go downstairs, still in his sleepwear.

"Good morning, Ivy." Wesley greeted her with a smile. Ivy blushed slightly and just stared at him blankly. "Ivy?" He looked at her.

The girl still stared at him blankly, but her lips started quivering. Her hands remained still at her sides and her breathing rate seemed to be getting faster and faster.

"Are you alright?" Wesley asked her with a frown now. "Is something the matter?"

"You're...perfect.." Ivy said at last, exhaling a long breath. "Just...Perfect." She said again.

"I thank you for the compliment but we humans are not perfect." Wesley smiled.

"I meant that you're perfect for my new manga." Ivy said, now searching around the living room. "I wish I had a pencil and pad right now."

"May I ask why?" Wesley asked her.

"I'm doing a new manga called 'Prince of Myth' and you're the perfect model for him." Ivy told him, still blushing.

"Is that so?" Wesley said thoughtfully. "It is good to know that I can serve as your inspiration for your art. But what is a manga?" He asked her as he grinned sheepishly.

"Have you had breakfast?" Ivy asked him. Wesley shook his head. "Then we should go eat. This might take a while."

 **~Confessional~**

 **Nelly:** Are you telling me those two left without me!? Come on!

 **Ivy:** Wesley is the perfect model for the prince in my manga. Maybe I can even name him Wesley to honor the guy too. Maybe even have some of his traits. No wait...ALL of his traits. *she grins while spacing out*

 **Tatiana:** We thought that maybe Nelly wanted to sleep in. *shrugs*

 **~End Confessional~**

Tatiana and Terrance were walking together towards the location of the Red Sith outpost, eating fruits and pudding on the way there.

"So what's the deal with you and Nataline really." Tatiana turned to the techie boy. "Did something happen between you two?"

"Why are you asking?" Terrance raised an eyebrow at her.

"I wanna help make you guys friends again!" Tatiana exclaimed.

"Friends again?" Terrance gave an amused scoff. "We were never friends in the first place."

"But that's not right. We were in the same party then and we're in the same party now." Tatiana said as they ended up at their destination and stopped. "We should all get along!" She declared with a toothy grin.

"It's not happening. "Terrance looked up at the outpost's antenna. "I'm not gonna surrender." He firmly said as he moved to go behind the outpost where they left their mecha chocobo.

"I'm not asking you to surrender. I'm asking you to at least TRY and be friends." Tatiana clarified. "I'm a girl like her so I can totally tell you how to make her happy and gain her friendship."

"Sorry but I don't trust girls." Terrance replied as he fished for the tools in his hoodie pockets.

"Are you being sexist?" Tatiana narrowed her eyes at him as she patted the mecha chocobo on the head although it gave no response.

"What? No. It's not like that." Terrance defended. "I just have a bad outlook on girls okay? Especially those popular ones." He gritted his teeth.

"Yeah, you keep mentioning that." Tatiana noted. "What's up with that anyway?"

Terrance sighed as he stared at the synchronize antenna in his hand. He clutched it and gritted his teeth.

"It's nothing. None of your business." He said to the gamer girl.

"But aren't we friends?" Tatiana asked him, worry slightly evident in her voice.

"Are we? I thought we were just enthusiasts who like games and inventing stuff." Terrance said coldly. "I mean, that's also why we roped Nelly into this right? Strictly business. Or in this case, hobby."

"But the people who do this are friends too." Tatiana insisted. She then glared at him. "Hey wait a minute, maybe you have another party!"

"What are you on about?" Terrance rolled his eyes.

"You have another party to hang out with! That's why you don't trust me." Tatiana accused with a pout.

Nelly was leaning against the wall of the outpost, listening in on their conversation.

"It's not that." Terrance defended.

"So why? I'm trying to get you to be friends with Nataline so we can all get along and play this game together. That's also why I got Nelly to help us here, so that she can be a party member too." Tatiana explained, still pouting at Terrance.

"And look at the outcome of it, it's three girls to one boy." Terrance countered. "Who knows? Maybe you'll ditch me when I'm no longer needed."

"How can you say that? I'm your friend!" Tatiana said, clearly shocked by what he said.

"I just said we're not!" Terrance dropped the antenna and slumped down against the wall. "Look, let's just finish this tomorrow." He said softly and in a tired tone.

 **~Confessional~**

 **Terrance:** Okay I guess I was kinda too harsh on her since she didn't really do anything wrong, but she shouldn't go around assuming we're friends. Yes I get that she was nothing but nice to me and we were working on this cool chocobo too, but my past is literally changed my views on popular people and girls. I'm just not ready to share it with her yet.

 **Tatiana:** Sheesh, what's gotten into him? I've never seen him this pissed off before. Was it something I said? I mean, that's what a party leader would assume if one of their members was acting hostile and distant so I just wanted to make sure. Well it made him uncomfortable and less trusting of me though. I wonder what's the story behind it.

 **Nelly:** Okay so I just walked in and acted all arrogant and cool, just to prove that I haven't been eavesdropping this whole time, and it worked. Guess that one time I joined the theater club worked well for me then. *arrogantly smirks*

 **~End Confessional~**

* * *

Chris' hologram appeared on the living room of each outpost, and even the back of the Red Sith outpost, to announce the next challenge.

"Everyone, head back inside your outposts and make sure you're all prepared. Challenge time starts soon." Chris announced.

"What the hell? How are we gonna get back in time?" Nelly asked her companions.

"We use this thing to ride back!" Tatiana exclaimed.

"Please no." Terrance groaned.

A cyan colored portal appeared in front of the three.

"Yes! A portal." Terrance sighed in relief.

"Aw, but I wanna test run the chocobo." Tatiana pouted but followed them inside the portal.

They took the mecha chocobo with them as they passed through. Afterwards, they found themselves by the entrance to their outpost. Ivy was waiting for them by the door.

"Where have you been?" She asked the three of them.

"The Red Sith outpost." Tatiana told Ivy.

"What did you do there?" Ivy tilted her head.

"Just worked on stuff." Tatiana answered.

"Can we just drop this and head inside already?" Terrance said through gritted teeth. He pushed Ivy aside and went inside.

"Sorry, he isn't in the mood." Tatiana apologized.

"Really?" Nelly said in faux innocence.

"It's okay." Ivy said, rubbing her arm. "The others are waiting for us." She glanced towards the mecha chocobo. "What is that?"

"Our new pet." Nelly smirked.

"I...see?" Ivy said in confusion as she went inside.

* * *

After everyone had made it back to their outposts, Chris put them on lock down to keep them safe until the scenery is made.

"We better win this next challenge." Shane grunted to his team.

"We'll do the best we can." Cassie told him. "Ya don't gotta worry. We ain't slackers."

"Well...Most of us." Shane glared at Phoebe.

"Eek! W-What's that glare f-for?" Phoebe cowered behind Jane. The latter came up to Shane's face.

"Back off. She didn't do anything wrong." Jane told Shane harshly.

"Yet." Shane spat as he walked away from her and went upstairs.

"Come on guys! We need to build up the team morale!" Arnold told them as he stood in front of them all. "We can't fight now."

"Arnold's right. We gotta get HYPED. UP!" Sarah exclaimed as she wrapped her arm around Arnold's shoulder and used her other arm to do a pumped up motion.

"I like this girl. She's lively." Valerie giggled. "We do lack positive, loud people like that in my old team."

"Ya got that right." Cassie grinned.

"This should be fun..." Desmond sighed.

"Hmm..." Marvin thought to himself.

* * *

The scenery was that of a futuristic city, unlike anything in present time. Though the skies are dark, and flying cars soar around as a means of transportation. Towering skyscrapers are seen everywhere, almost blocking out the sky entirely. And even though it looks like a bustling futuristic city, there are no people roaming the streets. A white colored wide structure stands out in a certain part of the city, and the two outposts are in opposite sides of that structure.

Chris' hologram appeared inside the outposts again, this time accompanied by a large steel crate.

"Welcome to Christopolis!" Chris announced.

"Are you kidding me?" Nelly deadpanned from her team's outpost.

"You serious right now?" Arnold ran a hand through his hair from his team's outpost.

"Don't interrupt me!" Chris scolded. "And it's a really good city too. But we're not here to go sight seeing or shopping, because your next challenge is here!"

Another hologram appeared showing the structure that lies a couple of meters from their outpost.

"This is a facility that manufactures combat robots of a higher AI. You might think this is like Terminator, but it's not, because they're better." Chris chuckled. "Your challenge is to shut down the main power supply in the top floor of that building. The first team to do so will not only be safe from elimination, but will win a reward as well. The losing team will obviously face elimination and will not get a reward."

The large steel crates opened revealing nine plasma handguns on the Silver Terminators' side and eleven on the Cyan Protoss' side.

"You will each take these weapons and use it to help you get to the top. But be warned, I don't really know how it will help you guys." Chris laughed. "The extra two handguns on the Cyan Protoss' side is part of their reward from the last challenge. And no, you cannot use any of the tools you got from past challenges. You have to use what you have. That's all." Chris' hologram and the structure hologram both flickered out.

The members of the Cyan Protoss gathered around their steel crate and each took their plasma handgun.

"So who wants the extras?" Ivy asked them.

Both Nataline and Cyrus reached out to grab one.

"These extras are for those who deserve it." Nataline scoffed as she took one and glared at Cyrus.

"I know, so why did you take one?" Cyrus shrugged innocently as he took the other and walked outside. This earned a snicker from Terrance.

"Nice one." Terrance as he walked alongside the emo boy.

Nataline fumed but Tatiana placed a hand on her shoulder. "Don't mind him. The rest of the party wants to win too."

"I know. But if we lose, Cyrus is definitely on my hit list." Nataline said as both she and Tatiana walked out of their outpost. Everyone else followed suit.

Meanwhile, the Silver Terminators have already went outside and are now examining the entrance of the facility.

"What's the plan gonna be?" Desmond asked his team.

"Well we're the stronger team so we can just storm through their lines." Arnold suggested.

"But Chris said that they're highly advanced robots and I'm not sure this handgun will work well." Marvin admitted.

"And we don't even know what to expect inside." Jane pointed out as well. "We'll get lost."

"Then Phoebe goes up front. She's expendable." Shane suggested. Jane and Cassie glared at him but he just grunted and moved towards the entrance.

"Maybe we can split up into smaller groups?" Valerie said to them.

"It won't work. Even if we are stronger than the other team, we're not strong enough individually to handle those robots." Cassie told the flirt.

"I-I want to h-help the team. Even i-if it means going up a-against those robots." Phoebe tried to say bravely.

"Don't worry about it, Phoebe." Sarah told her. "We got this."

"Ya don't let Shane's talk get to ya, okay?" Cassie told the doll faced girl.

"O-Okay." Phoebe nodded.

* * *

 **(Cyan Protoss)**

The team ran through the hallway, searching for the second floor.

"Running fast enough will totally help us avoid any conflict." Tatiana remarked with a smile.

"But what will we do when the other team shows up?" Lucy asked them.

"We shoot them." Terrance said simply. "Why else were we given guns?"

"They are physically stronger than us, yes? How do you plan on winning a battle against them?" Wesley asked with a frown.

"We have extra weapons." Terrance adjusted his glasses. "If I'm lucky, I might find some tools here that can help."

"You're going to scavenge?" Nataline scoffed at him. "Typical commoner. I hope you plan on actually helping us in this challenge."

"Yeah because YOU did so much last challenge." Nelly rolled her eyes at the rich girl.

"Hey come on now be nice to her." Cyrus smirked. "Don't piss off the sacrificial lamb." Terrance and Nelly laughed alongside him.

Seeing Nataline's face distort into an angry one, Lucy tried to scold the boys.

"Hey, don't be mean to her. She's an asset too." Lucy told them.

"Only you would know that." Terrance narrowed his eyes at the soft spoken girl. "Tell me, from that first challenge that determined the three teams, what did she do?"

"Came up with a good plan which you screwed over." Lucy said irritably. Nataline smiled at her friend's comeback.

"You were fighting a giant bird." Terrance deadpanned. He turned to Nelly and Cyrus. "Tell me it's a good idea to fight a giant bird unarmed."

"It's not. Sacrificial lambs can't fight." Cyrus shrugged.

"We weren't gonna fight it. We were gonna go around it." Nataline shot back. "Your failure made it too aggressive."

"But didn't Nicholas put on a good show?" Terrance raised his eyebrow.

"Wait a minute, you just watched us!?" Lucy said in bewilderment.

 **~Confessional~**

 **Lucy:** *her right eye is glowing* While Terrance did make us look like idiots back then, I'm willing to set things aside for now and try to team up with him. His anger towards Nataline is perfect for my plan. Almost too perfect. Hehehe.

 **~End Confessional~**

"Look out!" Jude called out to them from behind as he pointed above. They looked up and saw a couple of robots pressed against the ceiling, clearly waiting to ambush them. They were tall, glossy silver in color and had glaring red eyes. It held a rifle in its left hand and its right hand remained free, but had a few components attached to the lower arm.

"Behind you!" Tatiana said to Jude as she looked back and saw two more robots drop down behind Jude. But the marksman was too slow to react and he was slapped aside by one.

"It's an ambush! We gotta get outta here!" Nelly told them through gritted teeth.

"We can take cover there." Wesley pointed at a dark room around the corner.

"Then let's go! Hurry!" Nataline urged them as she, Tatiana, Wesley, and Cyrus all went for the room.

The rest were about to follow but the robots up front dropped down to block their path.

"We're trapped." Terrance growled as he held his handgun.

"Through there! We can lose them in that hallway!" Nelly pointed down another hallway.

"We don't have much of a choice." Lucy said while casting a worried glance at Jude who staggered towards them.

"I'm fine if that's what you're thinking." Jude said in between pants. "Where's Ivy?"

They all turned and saw the robots surround a spaced out Ivy. She loosely held her gun and was just staring blankly ahead when one robot shot her in the chest and another one shot her in the back. Her avatar flickered out completely the moment she hit the ground.

"Well that just happened." Terrance remarked as he darted down the hallway. The rest followed him.

 **~Confessional~**

 **Ivy:** I did it again. I spaced out in the middle of the challenge. This is really going to take a toll on my chances here, isn't it?

 **Jude:** I don't know Ivy that well, but maybe it'd be best to vote her out sooner or later. Everyone needs to stay focused and she's not exactly doing that.

 **~End Confessional~**

* * *

 **(Silver Terminators)**

The team found the stairs to the second floor and were currently about to go up when three robots dropped down from the ceiling behind them.

"There they are." Arnold breathed.

"They got better weapons too." Marvin glanced at their rifles then at his own handgun.

"This has to work, right?" Cassie aimed her gun at one and fired. The shot caught the machine in the shoulder and it recoiled back its shoulder but didn't move an inch.

"Barely." Shane grunted. "Let's go. Fire and shoot!" He climbed up the stairs while firing at some of the robots to keep them at a distance.

Jane urged Phoebe up the stairs after him as she lay down cover fire for the others to go ahead. "Hurry up! I'll be reloading soon!" She barked at her team members.

"Coming!" Valerie hurried up the steps and so did Marvin. Desmond stayed behind to give cover fire as well.

"Go and reload." He told Jane. "The two of us can hold them off for a while longer."

By now, Arnold and Sarah had already run up the stairs. Cassie was supposed to follow suit but a robot managed to dash forward and grab her by the shoulder.

"What the-" Cassie gasped in shock as the robot immediately shot her in the back, making her fall down to the ground in pain.

"No, they got Cassie." Jane shook her head as she made her way up the stairs. "We're outta here!" She told Desmond.

"Gotcha." Desmond ran up after her but one robot used the components attached to his left arm into making a long curved blade and then slashed up at Desmond's leg, sending him tumbling down. "Argh!" He groaned in pain.

"Desmond!" Jane looked back and was about to go help him when she felt Marvin grab her wrist.

"We need to go." He told her. With a reluctant nod, she turned her back to Desmond and followed the rest of her team.

Desmond's avatar began flickering out when he saw Cassie shoot at one of the robots, though her aim was wide at most. He followed her lead and began shooting at the one closest to him to make hinder its progress. It wasn't long before a robot shot Cassie again to fully make her avatar disappear and soon, so was his.

 **~Confessional~**

 **Desmond:** I like to think that I did my part to help my team. I don't want to do so much to show that I'm a challenge threat, but I definitely don't want to be seen as a weak link either.

 **Cassie:** Estúpido! I didn't do much to help my team and was even the first casualty y'all. At least I have allies to keep me safe from elimination.

 **~End Confessional~**

The remaining team members hid inside a room filled with different types of explosives, all organized neatly in shelves and boxes.

"Whoa. Be careful where you shoot." Arnold told them. "Or else we'll go out with a bang." Only Sarah laughed at this.

"In any case, we should take some." Valerie said as she picked up a frag grenade. "It could be useful."

"True." Marvin nodded as he took out what looked like a flat disk-like object with a blue button in the center and a small timer above it. "I wonder what this is." He turned it around and saw a magnet attached to it.

"Probably a time bomb." Jane remarked. "It might work on those robots."

"Then we just hit jackpot." Sarah exclaimed.

"I don't do well with bombs." Shane grunted. "Go ahead and grab whatever you like." He walked out to survey the area.

"He's not much of a team player, huh?" Jane noted.

"Y-Yeah. He usually d-does his own t-t-thing." Phoebe stuttered out. "But he's been v-very helpful in c-challenges."

"That's why we have no reason to vote him out, even if we wanted to." Marvin said as well.

"Why would you wanna vote out a hot an edgy guy like him?~" Valerie giggled. "I say we keep him."

"But then he'll become a danger in the merge." Sarah pointed out.

"Uh, babe? We're all dangers in the merge." Arnold motioned to everyone in the room. "Except for maybe a few. No offense."

"N-None taken." Phoebe nodded.

They heard gun noises outside. They went out to see Shane shooting at a robot that just appeared in the hallway, both his arms formed into curved blades. Its movement is slowed due to him shooting, but he's almost backed into a corner.

"We gotta help him!" Valerie exclaimed. "Help the hot and edgy guy!"

"On it." Marvin rushed forward with the disk bomb and slapped it on the robot's back. It noticed him and tried to slash at the boy, but he jumped back in time to avoid it.

"Run!" Marvin said to them. They all nodded and went down another hallway. More robots poured into the hallway, but Marvin stood his ground. He held three more disk bombs in his hand. The robot that fought Shane earlier joined up with its brethren just as the bomb exploded, destroying it as well as damaging those around it.

"I guess I'll hold them off here." Marvin declared. A robot came charging at him with its blade and managed to catch Marvin by the left arm. He screamed in pain as he staggered back. He immediately countered by crouching down and attached a bomb at the robot's leg then moving back more.

The robots kept pooling in around him, so he slid one through the floor as he moved back. The robots at the back began shooting at him, making him fall and let go of the final disk bomb. He groaned in pain as the disk bomb landed on his chest. A robot loomed over him, blades crossed and pressed against him.

The rest of the Silver Terminators heard explosions go off in the hallway they were just in. They stopped and looked back.

"Well, there goes Marvin." Arnold remarked.

"Let's go then. Better not waste this chance." Jane told him and so they kept on running.

"M-Marvin..." Phoebe said sadly.

 **~Confessional~**

 **Phoebe:** I-I know he's alive, but I s-still can't get used to virtual d-d-deaths. I h-hope I don't die in this c-challenge. *cowers*

 **Marvin:** I hope that gave them enough time to escape. I guess I'll leave it up to them now. Looking back, I should have gotten more disks to keep for future challenges. Oh well.

 **~End Confessional~**

* * *

Nataline, Wesley, Tatiana, and Cyrus all went down another corridor, separated from the rest of their team. They all had their handguns drawn, proceeding with caution.

"These robots are truly intelligent to have ambushed us, despite our larger force." Wesley remarked to them.

"We still have the other team to deal with." Cyrus told him. "And we're not even on the second floor."

"I hope the others are having better luck." Tatiana said. "Our party is split in half and that's usually a bad thing!"

"They got more numbers." Cyrus rolled his eyes. "We're the ones who are doomed."

"Nice vote of confidence." Nataline remakred dryly.

"It's true. Especially since we're not the stronger team." Cyrus countered.

"We should focus on reaching the top rather than arguing." Wesley tried to cease the fight. "It will do us no good to be negative about it."

"Suit yourself." Cyrus shrugged as he walked ahead.

Nataline glared at Cyrus and then moved to aim her gun at his head but Wesley held her wrist and shook his head firmly. She sighed and lowered her gun.

"Look! I found the stairs!" Tatiana called out to her team as she rounded a corner. They saw that it is indeed the staircase to the second floor. At the start of the steps is a steel crate.

"And it seems like our resources will be added." Wesley smiled as he approached the crate.

"Careful, it might trigger an explosion." Cyrus snickered.

Wesley paid him no mind, however, and opened the crate. A click sound was heard, and a short explosion was trigger from inside the crate, making Wesley's avatar flicker out in a flash.

"Aaah!" Tatiana screamed as she dashed up the steps.

"See? Told you." Cyrus laughed as he followed her up the steps. Nataline just clenched her fist in anger as she also went up the stairs.

Meanwhile, Lucy, Jude, Terrance, and Nelly were already on the second floor and are currently inside a room, looking around for any equipment that they can use to make their challenge easier.

"Found any weapons?" Jude asked them.

"Nope." Terrance responded. He opened a glossy locker but found nothing.

"Nothing here either." Lucy said sadly as she looked inside an empty crate.

"Well, we should get out of here. It would be bad if we were surrounded." Nelly pointed out to them.

"Usually I'd take the time to use the materials here to build something, but that would take time and I'm pretty sure the other team are plowing through as we speak." Terrance adjusted his glasses as he stepped out of the room.

"So just in case we lose, who are we voting for?" Jude asked them tentatively.

"Wesley or Nataline." Terrance answered instantly.

"Wow that was fast." Nelly remarked.

"I hate them both. Not to mention they're already rich." Terrance explained.

"But Nataline is nice." Lucy frowned.

"Uh, what Lucy said." Jude defended as well.

"Are you kidding me? You're just siding with her like that?" Nelly said, baffled. "Think for yourself for once!"

"Hey you're part of our alliance, you know!" Jude exclaimed. Lucy's eye twitched and Terrance raised his eyebrow.

"Alliance?" Terrance said suspiciously.

"Yeah, no." Nelly shook her head. "After voting off Nicholas like that, I'm done!" She said firmly.

"Nicholas was-" Jude was cut off when a robot dropped down from the ceiling and slashed him vertically, making his avatar flicker out.

"Didn't see that coming." Terrance said as he ran away with Nelly behind him. Lucy tried to follow but the robot shot her down.

 **~Confessional~**

 **Terrance:** So Nelly was a part of Jude's alliance in her old team, huh? Interesting.

 **Nelly:** To think that Jude has to rely on Lucy to think for him, it's just deplorable! I'm out of that alliance for good. I hope Terrance and Tatiana will back me up on this. In fact, maybe voting off Wesley or Nataline isn't such a bad idea after all.

 **~End Confessional~**

* * *

 **(3rd Floor)**

The entirety of the 3rd floor is free of robots, and at the far end of the room is a giant heating power core floating above a magnetic field. A control panel is seen by the railings that prevent direct contact to the power core. The only way towards it is a long steel bridge that is connected to a platform where three staircases are located.

The members of the Silver Terminators made it upstairs first.

"We're here." Shane said as he stared ahead at the massive energy sphere.

"And we're the first ones too." Valerie looked around and saw no sign of the enemy team.

"Then let's hustle, team!" Arnold urged them on as he started down the bridge.

The rest followed him with Phoebe bringing up the rear. She stopped in her tracks when she saw someone come from the other staircase.

"Eek! T-They're here!" Phoebe exclaimed. Sure enough, Terrance and Nelly emerged from the staircase with their guns drawn.

"We gotta stop them." Nelly said to her teammate. She open fired and Terrance did so too. All the shots flew over Phoebe as she was short in height but managed to catch Jane in the back.

"Gah!" The girl yelled in pain as she lost her balance and fell to the ground, her avatar flickering out.

"Hey, not bad. These handguns are stronger than our blaster rifles." Terrance noted.

"Then let's make the most of it." Nelly said as she kept on firing but eventually had to reload. "Damn it. Not now."

Valerie spun around and fired on Nelly, successfully hitting her in the chest and making her avatar vanish instantly.

"Well that happened." Terrance said dryly as he moved to the side.

Just then, Tatiana, Nataline, and Cyrus emerged from the third staircase and joined their teammate.

"Cheering love! The cavalry's here!" Tatiana exclaimed proudly as she joined in the crossfire.

"It's 'Cheers, love. The cavalry's here.'" Cyrus rolled his eyes. "Get it right." He took out his two handguns and fired on Phoebe, but the smaller girl started running and avoiding his shots.

"Eeek! Help m-me!" She said fearfully as she went in front of Sarah. Cyrus aimed and fired on the rocker girl and managed to hit her and make her fall, forcing Phoebe to go down with her.

"Ow!" Sarah screamed and pointed her gun behind her, firing blindly before her avatar fully flickered out.

"Sarah!" Phoebe screamed.

Nataline focused her shots on Shane but the boy was lucky to have avoided all her hits.

"We gotta race them there first!" Tatiana said to them as she dashed forward to catch with the members of Silver Terminators. Terrance followed her while reloading.

"They are stronger than us. We can't take them down." Terrance told her.

"Not with that attitude! Onward to victory!" Tatiana let out a battle cry as she flung herself at Valerie. The both ell to the ground and wrestled for control.

"This would be enjoyable if I was gay. Or bi." Valerie said as she pushed the gamer girl off her. "But you can have my number if you really want to." She winked at her as she stood up. She didn't get far, however, when Tatiana tripped her with her foot.

"Aha!" Tatiana cheered as she ran ahead. Valerie tried to stand and give chase but Terrance shot her in the head and eliminated her from the challenge.

Meanwhile, Nataline and Cyrus were closing in on Arnold. The soccer boy looked over his shoulder and saw them behind him.

"Just a little bit more..." Arnold muttered to himself. Cyrus and Nataline each pointed one of their guns at him but before they could fire, he turned and delivered a swipe kick, knocking off the guns aimed at him. "Yes!"

"No!" Cyrus said angrily as he saw his gun and Nataline's fly off the bridge. Arnold shouldered the emo boy to the side which made him collide with the noble girl.

"Hey!" Nataline lost her balance and held on to the railings to keep her from falling. Cyrus, however, couldn't catch himself in time and he fell off the bridge and his avatar disappeared as he fell deeper down.

"Shane, win it for us!" Arnold said as he took out his gun and shot Nataline. She got hit but retaliated by shooting him back. After much shooting, both their avatars flickered out.

Shane was close to the control panel now. He could see numerous buttons and switches, but then saw a glowing red button near the middle.

"How obvious." He smirked to himself as he ran faster. However, he looked over his shoulder and saw Tatiana charging up to him at a fast speed. "Tsk."

"Hold it right there!" Tatiana took out her handgun and fired at Shane. He got hit in the arm which made him drop his own gun.

"Don't get ahead of yourself." Shane grunted as he used his other arm to knock off the gun of the gamer girl's hand. She was startled by this and lost balance for a moment, but caught herself and moved in front of him.

"To slow!" She was about to press the button when she felt Shane grab her shoulder and shove her back. She fell to the ground and could only watch helplessly as Shane went ahead and pressed the button.

"Challenge over!" Chris' voice echoed around the room. "The Silver Terminators win this round! They will receive a reward as well as immunity. Cyan Protoss, I'll see you at elimination in two hours."

Phoebe dusted herself off and breathed a sigh of relief while Shane smirked arrogantly at Tatiana as he walked away. Terrance sighed in defeat as he cleaned his glasses with his hoodie and Tatiana just banged her fist on the floor in frustration.

* * *

 **(Silver Terminators)**

Phoebe and Shane entered their outpost before Chris changed the scenery, and saw everyone else waiting inside.

"Congrats guys!" Sarah praised them. "You guys rock!"

"But Phoebe didn't even help much." Shane pointed out.

"I-I tried my b-best." Phoebe defended meekly.

"Yeah, so just back off, Shane." Jane glared at the lone boy.

"Whatever. I proved MY worth on this team, at least." Shane went upstairs to the boys bedroom.

"That boy ain't right when it comes to teamwork." Cassie shook her head. "Let's all just celebrate this victory ourselves."

"Everyone, look." Marvin pointed at the locked door with the pixel cubes. They all saw one cube slowly disappear and a few intricate lines scattered around the door in silver color.

"Cool." Arnold said. "What does it mean?"

"Maybe it's because we won?" Jane guessed.

"Looks like it." Desmond agreed. "And with that logic, it means that whatever is behind this door can only be seen once we win three times."

"Then let's keep winning!" Arnold exclaimed to his team. "Go Silver Terminators!"

Everyone else either cheered along or nodded with determination.

 **~Confessional~**

 **Arnold:** Team morale is looking good now. Well, Shane is such a wet blanket that I think we should get rid of him sooner or later. Sure he won us this challenge, but morale might take a hit in the long run with him sticking around so I kinda think we should vote him off.

 **Sarah:** Arnold sure knows how to pump a team up. We need to keep this up so we can keep winning! This is such a good change of pace after what happened in the Blue Ardonians. Speaking of that, how is Lucy holding up?

 **~End Confessional~**

* * *

 **(Cyan Protoss)**

Lucy, Jude, and Nataline met up behind their outpost.

"Elimination time again."Jude sighed. "We never seem to catch a break, huh?"

"At least you had a phone call." Nataline mumbled to herself.

"I want to see who we're voting for tonight." Lucy told them. "I called you both because I trust you the most."

"Thanks, Lucy." Nataline said with a smile. "You know, we can trust Wesley too."

"Really? Why?" Lucy asked her.

"He's really nice and we have a lot in common." Nataline explained. "He'll definitely want to be with us."

"Okay then. We'll tell him the vote after this." Lucy decided. "So back to the topic, who do we vote for?"

"I'm leaning towards Nelly." Jude suggested. "She didn't want to be a part of our alliance anymore. Might as well cut her off from this game too."

"But she's useful in challenges." Nataline pointed out to him. "Sure she has a...sharp mouth, but that can be overlooked. I'm leaning towards Terrance, myself."

"But isn't Terrance as good as Nelly?" Jude scratched the back of his head. "He did really well too in the last challenge so their worth is almost similar."

"Your potential targets are pretty surprising." Lucy admitted. "Because I want to vote for Ivy."

"You mean the girl who spaces out a lot? Sure." Jude agreed. "We basically lost nothing."

"Well I haven't seen her in action yet." Nataline pondered. "But the elimination ceremony is tonight. If cutting her off will help improve our odds, then I say we do what Lucy wants."

"Thanks, guys." Lucy said with tears of joy.

"It's nothing." Nataline giggled. "I'll go tell Wesley the vote. See you at the elimination ceremony." She left the scene.

"I need to go to the bathroom real quick." Jude announced before leaving as well. When Lucy was sure she was alone, her right eye flashed red and she grinned evilly.

Nataline eventually found Wesley gazing up at the stars.

"Good evening, Wesley." She greeted him.

"Good evening to you as well, Nataline." The foreign boy smiled.

"I'm just here to talk about the votes." Nataline told him. "Jude, Lucy, and I are voting for Ivy."

"That is too bad." Wesley frowned. "We were starting to get along too."

"Oh, I'm sorry." Nataline said truthfully. "But that's how they want to vote."

"Very well. I'll consider it." Wesley smiled at her. She slightly blushed and nodded. "Would you like to gaze at the stars with me?"

"Alright." She said.

Meanwhile, Terrance, Nelly, and Tatiana met up in the girls' bedroom.

"I'm really not comfortable in here." Terrance told the two uneasily.

"Suck it up. We'll just talk about the vote and then you can go." Nelly rolled her eyes.

"So is this our party within the party?" Tatiana asked Nelly.

"Uh, yeah. I guess if you want to put it that way." Nelly nodded. "Now then, I say we vote for Lucy."

"Why Lucy? She looks harmless." Terrance said as he raised his eyebrow.

"If she was, then Nicholas wouldn't have had to go home last time." Nelly sighed.

"What do you mean?" Terrance asked.

"The guy was hell bent on finding out about Lucy's past, and even mentioned that her motives are pretty suspicious and unclear." Nelly explained. "I don't think Nicholas is the type to get worked up over something easily, so it must be a big deal."

"Or maybe he's just really looking for a target and he made up excuses to pin it on Lucy." Terrance said with an amused scoff.

"Yeah right. As if Nicholas is that kind of person. You're just saying that because you think he's a popular kid too." Lucy retorted.

"But he is." Terrance countered. "Acting like a show off with his skills back in the first challenge, and wearing those clothes as if he's a badass. Ha!" He snorted.

"What did he ever do to you?" Tatiana frowned at him. "You're being...toxic."

"You don't understand." Terrance glared at her. "You never will. With that personality, I bet you've never been bullied. I bet you've never felt like crap before."

"Hey that's assuming." Tatiana pointed out to him. "You don't know-"

"I'm voting for Wesley. That's final." Terrance stood up and turned towards the door. "Admit it, he doesn't deserve to play either." He left the bedroom.

"So...now what?" Tatiana asked Nelly.

"Maybe we should humor him for now and vote for Wesley." Nelly shrugged. "If we split the votes and vote for Nataline, it could get messy."

"But why him? Wesley is so nice and friendly." Tatiana pouted as she held her chocobo hat. "It doesn't seem fair."

"Have you watched a single episode of Total Drama?" Nelly asked her. Tatiana nodded. "Then you know that nothing is fair in this game. Think about it carefully, we want Terrance on our side right now. We don't know how the others are align anyway."

"Yeah that's true." Tatiana admitted.

As Terrance made his way downstairs, he saw that Lucy was waiting by the steps. Her headband wasn't on her head and her right eye is flashing red.

"Hello, Terrance." Lucy greeted in a rather smug voice.

"Lucy? What happened to your eye? It doesn't look natural." Terrance said, slightly weirded out.

"Look I'll just cut to the chase before Jude leaves the bathroom." Lucy motioned to the boys' bathroom. "I'm showing this side to you as a sign of trust, because no one else is aware of this side of me. Yet."

"Okay." Terrance said, unsure. "So what is it you want?"

"I want to see how you will vote." Lucy smiled. "I'll vote with you. Another sign of my trust."

"I'm voting for Wesley." Terrance said. "And yes, I know that he's charming and nice and foreign but-" Lucy held a finger to his lips.

"Shhh. No need to explain. I'll do it." Lucy grinned evilly. "Consider him gone." She giggled in a sinister manner.

"Wait, really? You're onboard with this?" Terrance looked surprised. "No back talk or anything?"

"Didn't you hear me the first time? I'll vote with you as a sign of trust." Lucy reminded him. "See, not even Nataline knows this side of me. This...is the real me."

 **~Confessional~**

 **Lucy:** *her right eyes is glowing red* Yes, that was a very bold move, showing Terrance this side of me. But I know what I am doing. I need his loyalty as well if I want this plan to work. Now, let's see if I can talk to Cyrus.

 **Terrance:** I'm surprised about Lucy's sudden change. Seriously, how is she doing that thing with her right eye? But anyway, it looks like I can trust her with voting for Wesley. I hope Nelly and Tatiana do the same. We technically need one more to make a majority but Lucy said she'll handle it.

 **~End Confessional~**

Lucy found Ivy and Cyrus talking outside the outpost.

"Comic book villains are too cliche." Cyrus groaned. "Why the hell are they your inspiration?"

"They are easy to emulate in a story." Ivy told him.

"Am I interrupting something?" Lucy asked them as she approached, her right eye back to normal and she is wearing her headband.

"Not really. Just Ivy's views on villains." Cyrus rolled his eyes. "What do you want?"

"I'm wondering how you guys are gonna vote tonight." Lucy asked innocently.

"Isn't that usually a secret?" Ivy tilted her head. "But then again, I don't have a target in mind actually. I'm thinking of throwing my vote away."

"I wanna vote for Nataline, the scapegoat." Cyrus said. "But if you other good targets, I'm all ears."

"I'm leaning towards Wesley, to be honest." Lucy told them.

"Wait wait wait, YOU wanna vote for Wesley?" Cyrus was shocked at this. "I thought by now all the girls would have fallen for him."

Lucy just giggled. "No, silly. I got Jude already."

"Oh. Congratulations." Ivy said with a slight smile.

"Yeah, whatever."Cyrus grunted. "Wesley is fine. Let's do this." He nodded. "Well, I'll be walking around a while. DO NOT follow me." He left the two and went further away from the outpost.

"Between you and me, I want to vote for Cyrus." Lucy told Ivy once he was out of earshot. "I just didn't want to tell that to him in his face."

"Really?" Ivy asked.

"Yeah. I have the votes to go through with it." Lucy grinned happily. Ivy smiled as well.

"Then I'll vote for him as well." Ivy nodded.

"Yay! Thanks." Lucy giggled.

* * *

 **(Elimination Ceremony)**

The contestants took their seats in the elimination ceremony site, with the Cyan Protoss taking center seats and the Silver Terminators taking the sidelines. Chris stood in the middle with eight space food containers.

"Welcome to the first elimination ceremony after the team swap!" Chris exclaimed. "Are you all exciting to see how this goes?" There were a couple of groans and empty cheers. "Party poopers, every single one of you." He muttered.

"The Cyan Protoss is the first team to experience elimination, it seems." Chris continued. "I have the votes right here, so if i call your name and give you a space food container, you're safe."

"Jude."

"Tatiana."

"Terrance."

"Lucy."

"Nataline."

"Nelly."

The six of them all accepted their containers. Ivy, Cyrus, and Wesley were left in the bottom three.

"Okay, the rest of you have at least two votes against you." Chris told them.

"Oh no." Ivy frowned.

"This is truly unfortunate." Wesley frowned as well.

"Tsk. Whatever." Cyrus simply rolled his eyes.

"But another one that's safe tonight is...Cyrus!" The emo boy caught the space food container with a wide grin. "Wesley, Ivy, one of you will be going home tonight. The last person safe is...

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

..."Ivy!" The girl was spacing out, however, so the container hit her face.

"How unfortunate." Wesley sighed as he glanced at his teammates with a sad smile. "However, someone has to go home tonight so it can't be helped."

"Wesley, you have finished this game in 18th place." Chris told the foreign boy. "Any last words?"

"I have but a few." Wesley answered. He turned to everyone on his team. "I do hope that you will continue to win challenges even without me. While I am very sad that I have been eliminated, I have to say that my time here was truly an enjoyable one."

"Seriously? Why is everyone taking their eliminations so well?" Chris said irritably. "Anyway, the beam is almost charged up."

"I'm gonna miss you, Wesley." Nataline told him.

"Same goes for me." Lucy said sadly and teary eyed. Terrance raised an eyebrow at her comment.

"I'll miss you all too." Wesley said with a smile. He stood up and gave an elegant bow before the beam enveloped him and removed his avatar from the virtual world.

"Well, that's that. You can go back now." Chris said dismissively. Everyone stood up and went back to their outposts.

 **~Votes~**

 **Nataline:** My vote goes to Ivy. I'm sorry, but that is how Lucy and Jude want to vote and they make a good point.

 **Terrance:** I vote for Wesley. It's time that popular kid gets what he deserves, 18th place!

 **Tatiana:** I really can't bring myself to vote for Wesley, so I'm gonna throw away my vote and vote for Cyrus instead. Actually, what if Cyrus actually goes home?

 **Ivy:** I suppose losing Cyrus won't be that bad. He is not east to get along with, after all. And not that, it will put Phoebe's anxiety to rest now that he won't bother her anymore.

 **Cyrus:** Voting for that pretty boy, Wesley. I guess he counts as a scapegoat too since he's like the male version of Nataline. Except he doesn't get mad easily. There's that.

 **Jude:** If Lucy wants to vote for Ivy and I'll agree with her. I mean, she looks like she's better at this strategy thing than I am anyway. *shrugs*

 **Nelly:** Voting for Wesley. I don't know about you, but I think Tatiana is caught up in his spell too. I need to get her to snap out of it so I can make an alliance with her and Terrance.

 **Wesley:** I have decided to vote for Ivy, just as Nataline wanted. I do not want to make the votes complicated, yet I am deeply sorry it had to be this way.

 **Lucy:** *her right eye is glowing red* Hehehe. Sorry Wesley, you're a nice guy and all, but you'll only hold me back and become a nuisance if you stayed any longer. This is good bye.

 **~Eliminated~**

 **(24th place) Richard - The Maestro**

 **(23rd place) Delilah - The Serpent**

 **(22nd place) Felix - The Prankster**

 **(21st place) Harvey - The Chill Guy**

 **(20th place) Betty - The Phone Addict**

 **(19th place) Nicholas - The Detective**

 **(18th place) Wesley - The Blue Blood**

* * *

Chris stood inside the Drama Dome, smiling broadly at the camera. "The Cyan Protoss losses its first member! Will they be able to make a comeback or will they be doomed to a losing streak? Will Terrance be able to get Nataline out next? Will Cyrus continue to rain on everyone's parade? Are the Silver Terminators getting sick of Shane's attitude? When will Phoebe become brave? And will the Silver Terminators' team morale remain high? Find out next time on Total...Drama...Sci-Fi Showdown!" The camera turned off.

* * *

 **Well that was fun, don't you think? Wesley was a character truly meant for premerge boot. Despite the hints that he may have a powerful social game and a harem to boot, that was merely a fake out. He can't offer much later on and will only mess with future chapters. But even so, I had fun writing him. Some might even say he was a potential protagonist, and I won't argue with that. He possesses the traits of a typical protagonist and overall nice person regardless of rank and the crowd he was with. He remained true to his positivism and therefore, made this season more sane than it should be. Too bad that his story ends there, folks. Peace out! XBloodLegendX :)**


	10. Chapter 10: Defend the Payload

**"The villains were always ugly in books and movies. Necessarily so, it seemed. Because if they were attractive- if their looks matched their charm and their cunning- they wouldn't only be dangerous. They would be _irresistible._ " Nenia Campbell, Horrorscape**

* * *

Chris stands inside the Drama Dome, showing off his flashing smile as the camera pans closer to him and the large hologram beside him. "Last time on Total Drama Sci-Fi Showdown, the contestants did their first challenge in their new teams that had elimination on the line."

The hologram showed the full body models of the Cyan Protoss members. "The Cyan Protoss had Cyrus as the drama stirrer, with Terrance still gunning for Wesley and Nataline to be eliminated. Tatiana wanted Terrance and Nataline to get along, so she decided to hear the techie boy's side of the story only to have them strain their friendship. Lucy found solace in the company of both Jude and Nataline as her new alliance members. Wesley stayed positive despite the negative vibes from the team and Ivy is as air headed as ever, while Nelly is now on the hunt for a new alliance."

The hologram then showed the full body models of the Silver Terminators. "Meanwhile, The Silver Terminators also had drama on their hands. Shane refused to properly coordinate with his teammates and preferred to work alone most of the time, which caused some strain to the team morale that Arnold and Sarah is trying to build up. Phoebe socialized with Valerie and Sarah, slowly breaking out of her shell. Jane now faces a dilemma of having no alliance, but tries to find comfort in knowing that Cassie and Phoebe are in the same team as her. And Desmond now takes on the role of drifter for the time being."

The hologram showed the challenge and the elimination ceremony. "After a challenge that involved robots and power systems, the Cyan Protoss lost and therefore had to vote someone out. With the combined strength of Terrance's hatred and Lucy's masterminding, our foreign boy Wesley Quinton Highsmith takes the fall."

Chris spread out his arms in a dramatic fashion. "Will Jane find a way to stay safe or will her statue be her only salvation? Will Phoebe be able to keep up with her team? Just what kind of mastermind game is Lucy playing? And will Nataline find out why Wesley was eliminated? Find out now on Total...Drama..Sci-fi Showdown!"

* * *

 **(Cyan Protoss)**

Lucy found Jude hanging around the back of the outpost, firing at a tree trunk with his makeshift bow and arrows.

"Good morning, Jude." Lucy greeted him with a smile. This startled the marksman and his next shot went wide.

"Oh! Hi Lucy!" Jude whipped his head back to look at her. "Good morning."

"Sorry to startle you." Lucy said sadly.

"No, it's okay. Really." Jude assured.

"I wanted to talk about last night." Lucy said, still with a sad tone.

"Yeah, that's why I've been doing archery over here. Last night didn't go as we expected and doing this helps reduce my stress." Jude explained as he motioned towards the tree filled with arrows.

"Oh, I see." Lucy nodded in understanding. "The truth is, Cyrus bullied me into voting for Wesley."

"What!?" Jude said in both shock and anger.

"It's true." Lucy became teary eyed. "He told me there will be consequences if I didn't vote for him. I was gonna tell you about it but there wasn't enough time. I'm sorry." She apologized as a tear escaped her eye.

"Hey it's not your fault." Jude went over and wiped away her tear. "It's Cyrus' fault. I'll go confront him about this." He said through gritted teeth.

"There's no need. I don't want our team to have so much drama." Lucy said softly.

"But he's threatening you!" Jude exclaimed. "I won't allow it!" And with that, he stormed back inside the outpost.

Lucy's right eye flashed red as she gave an evil smile. "Perfect."

 **~Confessional~**

 **Lucy:** *her right eye is flashing red* Jude will do anything to protect me, even willing to stir up drama. Hehehe. This is too easy. Soon, this entire team will fall under my control. Who needs alliances when you're the only one with a flawless strategic mind? Hehehe!

 **Jude:** Nobody threatens Lucy like that and gets away with it. I knew Cyrus was trouble, but to think he'd go as far as threaten someone is uncalled for! He better be ready to face me.

 **~End Confessional~**

Nataline was eating breakfast along with Tatiana and Nelly. The gamer girl and the nerd were eating at a faster rate, however.

"What seems to be the hurry?" Nataline asked the two of them as she saw Tatiana put an entire muffin in her mouth.

"We're finishing up the mecha chocobo today." Tatiana exclaimed after she swallowed the muffin. "It'll be so awesome!"

"It's just a few more tweaks anyway." Nelly chipped in while gulping down soup straight from her bowl.

"Is Terrance still asleep?" Tatiana asked Nelly. "Should we wake him up?"

"Nah he's probably just changing clothes upstairs." Nelly answered. "Let's just finish our food and get going."

"If you don't take the time for your food to digest properly, you might get a stomach ache." Nataline told them.

"You're not my mom." Nelly rolled her eyes at her. "So just mind your own business!"

"Hey don't be mean to Nataline." Tatiana said with a frown.

"She's probably judging us right now. Being nerds and all." Nelly gave a scoff.

"No I am not." Nataline assured her. "I like how you're passionate about building this machine."

"Yeah yeah don't patronize me." Nelly said dismissively as she finished her soup and went outside. "I'll be waiting outside. Go and get Terrance." She told the gamer girl as she walked away.

"You've made some...interesting friends, Tatiana." Nataline told her once Nelly was out of earshot.

"They're really nice people." Tatiana defended. "So I don't know why they're being so cruel to you."

"I'm used to it. Not many people like me anyway." Nataline shrugged.

"But you're awesome too!" Tatiana insisted. "I bet the people back home love you too."

"Well..." Nataline said as her voice shook a bit. "...Not exactly."

"What do you mean?" Tatiana asked in a concerned tone. "I'm sure your parents love you, right?"

"No...they don't." Nataline said slowly as she made a sad face. "Look, I'm not comfortable sharing it right now." She said as she stood up and made her way towards the bathroom. "Sorry."

"No, it's alright. I didn't mean to make you remember that." Tatiana said. "But I'm here for you if you wanna talk about it."

"Thanks, Tatiana. I really do appreciate it." Nataline smiled. "I do need someone else to talk to after what happened last night."

"Yeah. Right..." Tatiana nodded slowly and Nataline proceeded to go inside the bathroom.

 **~Confessional~**

 **Tatiana:** So Terrance's plan did work and Wesley went home. I wonder how he got the votes to go his way last night. But anyway, it looks like Nataline is hiding something. My friendship level with her isn't that high yet though, so maybe I'll spend some time with her later. For now, I gotta focus on finishing that chocobo with Nelly and Terrance!

 **Nataline:** Telling that to Tatiana will definitely make her interested to hear more of it. I guess it is about time I told someone my story, but what if she spills it to Nelly and Terrance? My image would be ruined! If only Wesley hadn't left last night, then maybe I'd ask him for advice.

 **~End Confessional~**

Terrance got out of the boys bedroom while he played with his EMP grenade, leaving Cyrus inside. He heard loud footsteps and saw Jude angrily walking upstairs.

"Hey, what's gotten you in a-" The techie boy started but was shoved aside by the asian man as the latter opened the door.

"No time. Cyrus has to pay!" Jude growled as he slammed the door shut. There was a shout of confusion and angry bickering afterwards. Terrance stood there dumbfounded when Lucy went upstairs and approached him, her right eye flashing red.

"Is the drama already ensuing? Hehehe." Lucy giggled in a sinister way.

"What did you tell him?" Terrance asked her, still shocked by Jude's sudden angry behavior.

"Calm down. It's all part of my plan." Lucy assured him. "No wait, OUR plan."

"Our plan?" Terrance raised an eyebrow. "When did I suddenly become a part of it?"

"I've seen the way you act around Nataline." Lucy said in a singsong voice. "You hate her right? You wanted to eliminate both Wesley and her because you hate them, right?"

Terrance adjusted his glasses. "And so? You said you'll vote for Wesley last night to gain my loyalty. What exactly are you planning?"

"Oooh~ So you're willing to hold an audience with me?" Lucy grinned in a sinister way. "Sacrificing Wesley was worth it then."

"So what's this plan of yours?" Terrance asked.

"It's simple. We vote off Nataline the next chance we get." Lucy stated.

"That's your plan?" Terrance gave an amused scoff. "That's been my plan since the beginning. Ever since the Red Sith formed, even."

"And how did that work out for you?" Lucy smiled sarcastically.

"W-What?" Terrance looked taken aback. "Look we just had some...technical difficulties. But I swear, I'll get her voted her."

"Then that's why I'm here to help." Lucy assured him. "Now, any more questions before we officially align?"

"Yeah. What's with Jude?" Terrance glanced towards the bedroom door, where angry voices are still heard as well as a few crashing sounds.

"I need Cyrus to get angry at me. I need to create as much drama as possible in order to make sure our votes stay as planned." Lucy explained. "Jude is nice and real charming, but we're still playing a game here. We'll need all the advantages we can get to make it to the merge, and to the finale." She grinned evilly.

"Right." Terrance adjusted his glasses as he turned away and went downstairs.

 **~Confessional~**

 **Terrance:** Lucy looks like she has ulterior motives, yet I can't seem to grasp it. Not to brag but taking me to the finale means that she'll be at a disadvantage. Whatever, as long as we get rid of Nataline and whoever the popular people are on the other team, I'm good with her plans.

 **Lucy:** *her right eyes is red* This is going so well for me. With Terrance, I just have to eliminate everyone else depending on who he pleases. This means that I'll have to cut off Nataline's game time soon, but it doesn't matter. There are nine members on the enemy team that I can pull over to my side in the merge. She's nothing to me now. Hehehe.

 **Cyrus:** *he has a black eye and bruises* What the hell is Jude's problem!? I didn't threaten Lucy! I'm gonna vote them both out, and my Invincibility Statue will save me! Screw them!

 **~End Confessional~**

Nelly and Tatiana were hanging out by the side of the outpost where they left the mecha chocobo. Terrance approached them and saw them charging up the power core.

"Oh, hi Terrance!" Tatiana waved and greeted as she stood up and saw him.

"Finally, you're here. Where does this go?" Nelly held up a small, box-like device.

"Oh, that's the advance AI box." Terrance said. "That goes inside the hatch and directly under the synchronize antenna."

"Okay, sure." Nelly said as she opened the hatch and attached the AI box inside.

"So what took you?" Tatiana asked him. "Is Cyrus causing trouble for you?"

Terrance thought of what happened earlier and smirked. "Not today. Today he got beaten up by Jude."

"What the heck?" Nelly exclaimed in surprised. "Nice!"

Tatiana looked horrified. "But that's bullying."

"It's because Cyrus was apparently threatening Lucy, so Jude stepped up to defend her." Terrance lied while shrugging.

"Yeah that guy deserved it." Nelly nodded. "I mean, a black eye wouldn't be obvious with his emo make-up anyway." She added with a smirk of her own.

"Well I guess he kinda deserved that." Tatiana reluctantly agreed. "But I hope Jude didn't beat him up too badly. We still need him for the challenge."

"Do we?" Terrance raised his eyebrow. "He literally fell off the railings in the last challenge by one shove."

"Plus as long as Jude isn't injured we'll be fine." Nelly added dismissively. "Even though he is pretty stupid at times." She said under her breath.

"We can't just rely on Jude though." Tatiana frowned. "We gotta pull our own weight!"

"Maybe next challenge we'll be able to use our past items again." Terrance pondered out loud. "And maybe Chris will let us use that chocobo."

"Yeah, testing it against the enemy team will be fun to do." Nelly grinned. "We'll show Arnold that brute strength isn't everything!"

"Isn't using a mechanical animal also brute strength?" Tatiana tilted her head in confusion.

"But it was made with great minds!" Nelly insisted. "It's totally different. We're not like them."

"If their asset is physical strength, then we'll just have to counter that with our sci-fi knowledge." Terrance adjusted his glasses.

"Then what are we waiting for? Let's do a test run." Tatiana exclaimed as she hopped on the mecha chocobo and held up a remote.

 **~Confessional~**

 **Tatiana:** Hanging out with Terrance and Nelly is awesome! They know a lot of games and they can totally make it into a reality here in this world. As a gamer, having them as friends is so cool! Oh wait, I forgot that Terrance doesn't consider me as a friend. *she frowns* And if last night was any sign, it's that he's clearly got the votes to turn on me if he wants to.

 **Nelly:** I'll definitely outlast Arnold and Sarah in this game. I'll use my intelligence to outsmart them and get far into the merge! Jocks had their time in the spotlight, but now it's time for the nerds to make a comeback. Come to think of it, the majority of the enemy team are strong people. I wonder if that's supposed to mean something.

 **~End Confessional~**

Ivy walked outside for some fresh air when she saw Cyrus sitting by large rock, kicking away at smaller rocks. She tilted her head and decided to go over to the emo boy.

"Cyrus? What are you doing here?" Ivy asked him as she sat down on another large rock that is next to him.

"Minding my own business." Cyrus grunted. Ivy looked closely at him and noticed his black eye.

"What happened to you?" She asked him in concern. "Did you hit your eye or something?"

"Forget it. Not that you care anyway." Cyrus glared at her before standing up.

"Maybe people will start to care if you open up more." Ivy told him. "You're a writer, after all. You should learn to express yourself properly."

"Says the person who spaces out every ten minutes." Cyrus spat.

"I get hit by inspiration every ten minutes." Ivy defended calmly. "I don't spend my mornings sulking and being anti social."

"I'm not like you. You're just a casual writer and illustrator. I'm meant for a more sophisticated form of literature." Cyrus said haughtily as he began to walk away.

"If you say so." Ivy sighed.

Cyrus looked over his shoulder at Ivy while mumbling to himself that he didn't see Nataline come the other way and the two collided.

"Ow. Watch it!" Cyrus glared at her as he whipped his head back and rubbed his arm.

"I wasn't the one not paying attention to the path." Nataline retorted. She looked him up and down and noticed his bruises and the black eye. "I'm not surprised. I saw Jude storm upstairs earlier. I suppose that answers that concern."

Cyrus raised a fist at her. "Maybe I should make you feel the same-"

Just then, the outpost door opened and Jude walked out. He saw the scene and crossed his arms, glaring at Cyrus.

"I see you haven't learned your lesson." The marksman remarked nonchalantly.

Cyrus sighed angrily and just walked away. "Whatever. I'm out."

 **~Confessional~**

 **Cyrus:** This day just seriously sucks already. I can't wait for the next challenge to make it worse. *sighs*

 **Ivy:** Cyrus is someone I don't actually know how to handle. I've met other fellow aspiring authors and none of them are as obnoxious and anti social like him. Wesley going home last night means that I basically have no more friends in this team. I thought talking to Cyrus will help but it turns out that he's not the kind of person people usually get along with.

 **~End Confessional~**

* * *

 **(Silver Terminators)**

Cassie went outside to see Phoebe already doing push ups. She tipped her hat backward as she went nearer to the doll faced girl.

"Howdy, Phoebe." Cassie greeted her. "You're up early." She remarked.

"Hi, Cassie." Phoebe said as she stopped exercising and dusted herself off. "Y-Yeah, I decided to e-exercise early so I could relax b-before the next challenge."

"Good thinking. I'm just waiting for Jane to change clothes before we go jog around." Cassie told her. "Wanna come?"

"O-Okay!" Phoebe nodded happily.

Jane went outside and saw the both of them. "So, you ready?" She asked the rancher girl.

"You know it." Cassie nodded with a smile. "Oh and Phoebe will be coming with us if you don't mind."

Jane looked at Phoebe's clothes and raised an eyebrow. "You're gonna jog in that? It might get ruined."

"I'll b-be fine." Phoebe assured her. "I don't w-want to be a burden to the team, so I-I'm exercising really h-hard."

"Well, it's fine I guess." Jane shrugged. She then pointed in the distance. "We'll jog until we reach the Red Sith outpost and then back here. It's not that far and we can have more time to rest up for the next challenge."

"Sounds mighty fine to me." Cassie agreed. "Let's go."

The three of them began jogging. They began at an even pace but Phoebe soon found herself lagging behind.

"Are you okay back there?" Jane looked over her shoulder at Phoebe.

"Y-Yes." Phoebe answered. "Just not u-used to it, is all."

"We can take a short break inside the outpost if you want." Jane said as she saw that they are close to the Red Sith outpost.

"N-No need. I want t-to keep going." Phoebe told her with conviction.

"She's a mighty fine gal." Cassie remarked. "I like people who work hard."

"It's always like that from where you're from, right?" Jane asked her.

"Ya got it. Work from dawn till dusk." Cassie nodded. "I usually tend to the live stock and wrangle up the wild bulls."

"You wrangle up the wild bulls?" Jane repeated in shock.

"Yeah. It's a pretty good work out actually. I also help out with fixing fences and all that stuff." Cassie added.

"So that's how you got strong." Jane nodded in acknowledgement.

"My sister is the one who tends to the crops, cleans the barns, and feeds the animals." Cassie told them. "Oh and she cooks too."

"So basically the less physical work." Jane noted.

"She's younger than me, so we're going easy on her for now." Cassie shrugged. "How about you, Phoebe? Got any siblings?"

"Yes. An older s-sister, actually." Phoebe smiled. "H-Her name is Winona."

"That's nice. What does she do?" Jane asked her as they started to circle around the outpost now.

"She usually g-goes shopping with her friends." Phoebe told them. "But s-she also helps p-people with their emotional p-problems."

"You mean like a guidance counselor?" Jane asked her.

"I think it's mighty fine that she helps people out like that." Cassie smiled. "Your sister must be a great person."

"S-She is and I look up to her t-too." Phoebe said. "A-After all, I'm n-not good at socializing."

"Hey you got us." Jane assured her with a smirk. "We're here for you."

"I get that we're in a competition, but making friends here are all good." Cassie added. "We can watch each other's back too."

"Are you suggesting an alliance?" Jane glanced at Cassie.

"If y'all want to make it that, then sure." Cassie tipped her hate forward.

"I l-like the idea." Phoebe nodded.

"Same." Jane grinned.

 **~Confessional~**

 **Cassie:** These two are really great people. I'll definitely be there to support them and even help them get far into the game. We all need allies if we wanna get far, I think.

 **Jane:** Even if I have an Invincibility Statue, it's only a one time use. An alliance is a good way to establish control over the game and a good way to control who you take with you to the finale. Cassie and Phoebe will make for good members and maybe I'll even rope my old alliance back in once merge hits.

 **Phoebe:** Talking to t-them was really good. I think m-my socializing skill is g-getting better, yay! Winona, I-I hope you're w-watching this, because I made a l-lot of friends here already.

 **~End Confessional~**

Arnold and Sarah were walking around the forest, hand in hand.

"Team morale is doing pretty well." Arnold remarked to her.

"You know it." Sarah agreed. "I don't know about Shane though. And Desmond looks pretty distant."

"Desmond will come around." Arnold shrugged. "Maybe he isn't used to being in a bigger team yet. As for Shane, we can just eliminate him. We need teamwork here, after all."

"Yeah I agree." Sarah nodded. "But I'd rather not have to eliminate someone. We had too much of those back at the Blue Ardonians."

"Yeah. In fact, the Green Drell only had one elimination ceremony right? They have the most members." Arnold noted. Sarah suddenly stopped walking. "What's wrong?"

"The Green Drell have the most members, which means that there's a high chance they might band together again." Sarah realized. "What if they secretly have an alliance with each other?"

"And add Shane in it?" Arnold shook is head. "I don't think so. You're bring paranoid."

"But just think about it. Cassie, Phoebe, Marvin, and Valerie are on good terms. I don't know about the other two in the other team but maybe they're just lying low for a while." Sarah said.

"That's ridiculous, babe." Arnold insisted.

"I know what it's like. I have a friend who also joined a band but then they ditched him because all this time they were plotting to get someone back and they were just using him as someone expendable." Sarah said with hand gestures. "What if the Green Drell are gonna gang up on us once we hit merge? They'll have the biggest alliance."

"Well...it's still unlikely." Arnold scratched the back of his head. "But if it'll make you feel better, we can vote of one of their members in the next elimination. Shane is still an option."

"Yeah." Sarah breathed. Arnold gripped her hand tighter and kissed her cheek.

"We'll be fine. We'll definitely make merge." Arnold assured her.

 **~Confessional~**

 **Arnold:** Sarah is a cool girl, but maybe she is being kinda paranoid, I don't know, But for her, I'll vote for the Green Drell members. I mean, Shane is still an option so there's that covered.

 **Sarah:** What if...What if my band has ditched me already ever since I came to this show!? Come on guys, you wouldn't do that, right? *laughs nervously*

 **~End Confessional~**

Marvin was eating an apple outside of the outpost when Valerie approached him, waving flirtatiously.

"Heya, Marvin~" Valerie greeted him.

"Good morning, Valerie." Marvin greeted back.

"How are you doing?" Valerie went closer to him and smiled seductively.

"I'm doing fine. Except now I'm thinking of how to tell Phoebe I like her." Marvin explained.

"Mmhmm~ I know what you need." Valerie told him in a singsong voice. "You need some confidence. I get that most guys are shy and believe me when I say I've met a lot of guys with similar problems. But you know that Phoebe is shy too so if you don't make the first move then you just might lose her."

"But I don't know how to admit it to her." Marvin said with a sigh. "I gotta act fast though. I don't know when I'll be eliminated."

"You think you're not gonna win?" Valerie tilted her head. "You don't look very confident."

"I'm not even sure I can last until merge." Marvin chuckled. "I'm not physically strong, and I usually keep to myself so my social game isn't that strong. I wonder if Chris put me here to make sure I get eliminated." He pondered aloud.

"Hey I'm not strong either." Valerie pointed out. "We all have an equal shot at winning this as long as we play fair!" She exclaimed.

"So you're saying you don't plan on being the villain this season even if it might improve your chances?" Marvin asked her.

"Nope! I hate underhanded and dirty cheaters." Valerie looked disgusted. "It's such a turn off." She did a repulsive gesture.

"I see. That's good then." Marvin nodded. "So can you help me tell Phoebe?"

"Sure thing~" Valerie chirped.

 **~Confessional~**

 **Valerie:** I know I said this last time, but personality affects beauty too. Those who play underhandedly and cheat are such losers in my book. I hope Marvin doesn't turn evil just because he thinks he's not good enough to win.

 **Marvin:** I owe Valerie one for helping me with this dilemma. I think of my odds in this game and I'm not liking it so I really hope I get to tell Phoebe how I feel before then. In fact, I'll even help her win.

 **~End Confessional~**

Shane and Desmond were inside the outpost eating breakfast silently. After a while, Desmond rolled his eyes and finished his cereal.

"You know, it wouldn't hurt to talk sometimes." Desmond told the loner boy.

"But why would I talk to you?" Shane said harshly. "You're not interesting."

"Chill. I see why your old teammates don't like you." Desmond sighed. "You're not gonna last very long without any allies."

"I won us that last challenge." Shane leaned back and glared at Desmond. "You didn't make it past the second floor. I think I have a better chance than you."

"We'll see about that." Desmond returned the glare. "Because unlike you, I have a strategy that will take me far."

"You're pretty strong, but not as strong as me. They'll keep me over you." Shane smirked arrogantly as he finished his coffee.

"You tell yourself that." Desmond gave a side grin. The door opened and Phoebe walked in.

"E-Excuse me? Are t-there still any apples left?" Phoebe asked meekly.

"Yeah." Desmond took one from the fruit basket and tossed it to her. The doll faced girl didn't react fast enough, however, and the apple hit her chest and rolled on the ground.

"Eek! I-I got it!" Phoebe chased after the apple as it rolled outside.

"But I think we can agree that Phoebe is the most useless member we have." Shane glanced at the open door and then back at Desmond. "She tries too hard to fit in and be useful but the results are still horrible!"

"Then why didn't your team eliminate her the first time?" Desmond asked.

"Because she looks innocent!" Shane said as he clutched the handle of his cup tightly. "She has Cassie, Valerie, and Marvin wrapped around her little finger. Her little...useless...puny...finger." He emphasized each word with edge and spite.

"Then we have to convince the rest to vote her out." Desmond suggested.

"Like you said, they don't like me." Shane growled. "Not to mention your social game looks like crap too."

"Pretty much. I never had control of my team so I kinda lost interest in trying." Desmond shrugged.

"But do we have a deal? We eliminate Phoebe first?" Shane placed down his cup and stared at the other boy intently.

"...Deal." Desmond nodded with a small smirk.

 **~Confessional~**

 **Desmond:** Having Shane as a temporary ally wouldn't hurt. After all, it's not illogical to vote out the weakest link in the team. But even so, I still need to lay low. Making sure I drift on by to the merge is my top priority now.

 **Shane:** Trusting Desmond may not be the best idea since he doesn't reveal much about his own intentions, but it's better than nobody at all. He's right, I do need allies to keep me safe but it's not easy when people will target you for your attitude. Tsk.

 **~End Confessional~**

* * *

Chris' hologram appeared inside the outposts of the two teams.

"Get up and get ready, everyone! Your next challenge is here." Chris announced. "For this challenge, the Silver Terminators will be going to the ruins of the Green Drell outpost while the Cyan Protoss will go to the Blue Ardonians outpost. Move it! Oh and you guys can bring whatever stuff you think will help you in this challenge."

"This is great, y'all. I can bring my suit." Cassie told her teammates happily. "I'll go change real quick."

"And I can use this again." Jane showed them her rope.

"Guess I get to bring this again." Terrance said as he played with his EMP grenade. Nelly smirked and Tatiana clapped.

"Hey maybe Chris will let me bring the chocobo." Tatiana said to them.

"Yeah, let's finish testing it there." Terrance adjusted his glasses.

"This is a challenge. It isn't play time." Nataline told them.

"Who said we're playing around?" Nelly sneered. "You just mind your own business."

After a long while, both teams made it to their assigned places.

"Man, this place is wrecked for good." Jude shook his head at his old team's outpost.

Lucy went teary eyed. "I had a lot of good memories here." Jude wrapped one arm around her to comfort her.

"Isn't this where you were supposed to end up?" Terrance raised his eyebrow at Nataline, who glared at him in response.

"It's none of your concern. The four of us would have made it safely if you didn't go and betray us like that." Nataline retorted.

"I am THIS close to pushing you over the river bed." Terrance said as he held up his hand and gestured a small space with his fingers.

"Guys, let's not fight now." Ivy said as she went in between them.

"Playing white knight now that Wesley's gone?" Cyrus scoffed. "That's rich."

"But we need to work together now!" Tatiana exclaimed as she got in Cyrus' face. "So you better behave and stop being toxic."

Cyrus tried pushing her away but made feeble results. "Whatever." The emo boy stood further away from his team.

"He's pretty weak in actions." Nelly remarked to Tatiana. "Did you even feel his push?"

"A little." Tatiana said. Nelly shook her head in amusement at this.

Meanwhile, the Silver Terminators looked around the area of the ruined Green Drell outpost. Arnold kicked aside some rubble and Marvin tapped his chin in thought.

"O-Oh no. Our outpost is r-really d-destroyed." Phoebe frowned as she stared at the debris.

"Tsk. I won't miss it." Shane grunted as he passed by it.

"That's cruel to say." Cassie shook her head at him.

"Now I wanna see our old outpost." Sarah said.

"Nah, we gotta focus on the challenge." Arnold told her. "Can't get distracted with looking at what's left of the outpost."

"You're probably right." The rocker girl nodded.

"Nothing here seems out of the ordinary." Marvin remarked.

"Maybe our challenge is to build it up again." Desmond guessed.

"Can't we do something that isn't a physical challenge for once?" Valerie frowned.

"You're just too weak to compete then." Shane glared at the flirt.

"I know I'm weak but you don't have to be so mean about it." Valerie pouted. "I still think you're hot though~"

"You work out here often?" Jane asked Cassie as she looked around the forest.

"Ya got that right." The rancher girl nodded. "It's better here, to be honest. The forest gives you better exercise options."

"S-So let's go jog h-here next time." Phoebe suggested.

"Sure, Phoebe." Cassie smiled at the smaller girl.

Chris' hologram appeared in front of the two teams now, and with a snap of his fingers, two long open transport vehicles with metal crates loaded were summoned forth, one for each team.

"Attention, everyone. I'll explain the challenge now." Chris said to them. "But first, the Silver Terminators should make someone sit this challenge out."

"Shane." Arnold and Sarah said in unison.

"It's for the good of the team morale." Arnold added.

"What!?" Shane growled. "Are you insane!? Why not make Phoebe or Valerie sit out!?"

"Too late. Shane will sit this challenge out." Chris chuckled as he snapped his fingers and Shane's avatar flickered out instantly. "Alright, time to explain the challenge."

Another hologram appeared showing small metallic humanoids that are crouched down and a tall, armored soldier with a plasma double edged staff. "You'll be defending this payload with everything you've got from these enemies. The smaller ones are just simply mini enemies that are easy to whack on the head but the armored ones are much more harder to take down."

"The goal is to hold them off for as long as you can. The first team that gets their payload completely overrun will face elimination tonight." Chris snapped his fingers again and a metal crate appeared in front of the two teams. "Here are your weapons for the defense. Good luck." He chuckled. "Oh and one more thing, the armored warriors have a chance of dropping one Invincibility Statue. There are a total of two Statues in this challenge." And with that, his hologram flickered out, leaving the teams to their own devices.

 **~Confessional~**

 **Tatiana:** Defending the payload? I love missions like these! I totally got this in the bag, especially with my chocobo with me. *she says proudly*

 **Nataline:** I wonder why they made Shane sit out when he's clearly a strong asset for them. *she shrugs* No matter, all this means is that we have better odds of winning now.

 **Lucy:** I hope I don't get beaten up too badly. *she gets teary eyed*

 **Desmond:** Another physical challenge, it seems. I bet they're starting to regret making Shane sit out.

 **Arnold:** I don't regret making Shane sit this one out. Look at us, we're mostly made up of physical assets here! The other team should still watch out for us.

 **~End Confessional~**

* * *

 **(Silver Terminators)**

Jane opened their crate to reveal eight metal poles of varying length. Three are small, four are medium sized, and one is long.

"We're gonna fight those things...with these?" Desmond asked, surprised.

"Chris did say we're only supposed to survive." Jane reminded him as she took a medium length one. "I'm pretty sure the wave is endless."

"I'm not that strong so I'll go for this." Valerie said as she picked up a smaller sized one. Phoebe tried picking up a medium sized pole but had a hard time swinging it.

"Just give it to me. You're not strong enough for it." Desmond stated matter-of-factly as he took the metal pole from Phoebe.

"O-Okay." Phoebe said in a sad tone as she picked up one of the smaller sizes. Marvin picked up the last small size.

"Thanks for not taking a medium one." Sarah exclaimed to Marvin as she took a medium sized pole. The boy just nodded at her.

 **~Confessional~**

 **Marvin:** I actually only took this because it would make me more versatile. But she can think what she wants.

 **~End Confessional~**

Cassie took the longest one and spun it around.

"Aw yeah! The suit makes it weightless to me!" Cassie beamed as she went over to practice with it.

"But I wanted the long one." Arnold frowned as he settled for a medium sized pole. Sarah patted him on the back.

"It's okay, you're still strong in my book." The rocker girl pecked him on the cheek and the soccer player smiled.

They heard distant growling and snarling.

"Looks like we better get ready." Jane remarked to her team.

"Eeek! I-I'm scared." Phoebe said fearfully as she gripped her pole tightly.

"Don't worry, we're in this together." Cassie tipped her hat forward with a smile. This lessened Phoebe's anxiety as she took on a defensive stance.

"Here they come." Desmond warned as he saw a couple of the small creatures in the distance, charging towards them.

* * *

 **(Cyan Protoss)**

The team gathered around the metal crate as Nelly opened it and revealed its contents.

"Oh oh! Dibs on the longest one!" Tatiana exclaimed as she immediately took the longest pole and then mounted her mecha chocobo. "For this challenge, I'm Tatiana the Chocobo Knight!"

Terrance took hold of a medium sized one and so did Nataline.

"Are you sure your arms can handle that?" Nataline asked Terrance with a smirk.

"Worry about yourself. You're the one in a dress." Terrance rebutted as he walked away and practiced wielding it.

"Hmph." Nataline huffed.

"Gonna play it safe." Cyrus decided as he took a small metal pole.

"Same here." Ivy nodded as she picked up a small one too. "We're not that strong anyway."

"Well at least I'm a better writer than you." Cyrus said arrogantly as he walked away. Ivy just shook her head and went the other direction to practice.

Nelly peered in and realized there is only one small one left. Lucy and Jude saw it too.

"Can I have the last small one?" Lucy asked the both of them.

"Of course. I'm sure Nelly wouldn't mind." Jude said while slightly glaring at the nerd girl. Nelly just breathed and nodded.

"Yeah, you can have the last one." Nelly told Lucy. The latter happily took it and walked off. Nelly then picked up a medium sized one along with Jude. "If I fail at this, I'm blaming you."

"Don't worry, you have me on your side." Jude assured her as he practiced a series of strokes and blocks in a flawless sequence. "We got this."

Nelly rolled her eyes. "We better."

 **~Confessional~**

 **Nelly:** I don't like how Jude is basically spoiling Lucy now. We're in Total Drama, dammit! We're supposed to bring each other down. Don't tell me he's gonna take her to the finale and then just let her win. *rolls eyes*

 **Terrance:** I played games where characters use poles as a weapon so I think I'll be fine. It is heavier than it looks though, so I gotta play on the defensive for now. I'll just have to rely on Tatiana's charging power with her new mount. *adjusts his glasses*

 **~End Confessional~**

Distant growls and snarls can be heard and soon a small wave of the small creatures started charging towards them.

"Well, let's do this." Jude said as he twirled his pole and took an offensive stance. Terrance stood beside him, also in an offensive stance though not as refined.

"Chaaaarge!" Tatiana let out a battle cry as she charged forth atop her mecha chocobo, holding her metal pole as if it's a lance.

"Well there she goes." Nelly said with a smirk. "Someone's been looking forward to this opportunity."

"Will she be alright?" Nataline asked.

"The armor of the animal will most likely be strong enough to sustain heavy damage, but I can't say the same for the rider herself." Nelly shrugged.

"She'll be fine." Terrance told her as he pointed ahead to where Tatiana's chocobo trampled on some of the creatures as she proceeded to stab them and making them flicker out, reducing the number of enemies heading their way. "See?"

Jude, Ivy, and Cyrus destroyed the creatures that came close to them.

"This is almost too easy." Jude remarked with a grin.

"Don't get complacent now." Ivy said as she thrusted her metal pole into a creature's chest area and its avatar flickered out. Soon, their first wave has been cleared.

* * *

The other team almost fully cleared the first wave as well. Jane, Desmond, Arnold, and Sarah took the front defense while Cassie charged ahead, easily twirling her pole and destroying the creatures as her body suit activated and gave her increased agility.

"C-Cassie is doing so great out t-there." Phoebe exclaimed.

"I know right! We're gonna win this!" Sarah cheered.

"Well we better make sure we don't let any of these things slip past us." Jane said as she took down another small creature. The first wave ended shortly and Cassie returned to them.

"How y'all holding up?" Cassie asked them.

"Well so far they haven't made it past the first line of defense." Arnold said proudly. "Our teamwork is perfect!"

"Let's keep this up guys!~" Valerie cheered.

The second wave came. This time, there were less smaller creatures and a few armored soldiers appeared among them.

"This should be good." Desmond noted as he took on a defensive stance.

"I wonder if the Invincibility Statue is held by one of those soldiers." Marvin pondered to himself.

"I'm going out there again." Cassie announced as she ran forward while thrusting her pole at the small creatures that stood in her way.

Meanwhile, the Cyan Protoss just witnessed the second wave come in from the distance.

"The second one already?" Jude panted.

Tatiana rode back towards them. "There are some armored soldiers now. It might get harder."

"Then you should go ahead and stop them. Try focusing on the small ones first." Nataline suggested. "Whittle down their numbers so we can outnumber the soldiers."

"I swear if you think that plan with work-" Terrance tried to argue.

"Okay!" Tatiana saluted and rode ahead once more, stabbing and trampling on the small creatures while trying to avoid the blows of the armored soldiers.

"She's gonna get overpowered out there." Terrance said angrily at Nataline.

"No she won't. Have faith in her." The noble girl glared at him.

"Shut up and keep fighting." Cyrus scoffed at both of them as a small creature went up to him and was about to pounce on him but he whacked it in the head.

The team continued fighting but soon an armored soldier came up from behind Ivy, who stood there spaced out.

"Ivy, look out!" Lucy tried to warn her but the soldier already raised its plasma staff and stabbed downwards at the spaced out girl, making her avatar flicker out.

"They got Ivy!" Jude charged forward and locked weapons with the soldier. Terrance came forward and stabbed the soldier's gut with all his strength, making it stagger back and giving Jude enough space to deliver a killing blow to its head. "Thanks." He nodded towards the techie boy.

"No problem. We gotta help the others." Terrance adjusted his glasses and went over to where Nelly and Cyrus were fending off some of the small creatures. Jude decided to go help Lucy who was about to get overwhelmed by a soldier.

"Aah!" Nataline screamed as a soldier slashed at her arm, making her fall back to the payload. Another one came from beside her and shoved her against it before slashing her in the torso, making her avatar disappear and delivering damage to the payload.

Just then, Tatiana came riding back and used her mecha chocobo to slam against one of the two soldiers before she stabbed right through the other one's helmet.

"Looks like I made it in time." The gamer girl remarked to herself as the animal trampled upon the first soldier.

"Maybe if you came earlier, we wouldn't have been so overwhelmed." Cyrus retorted.

"Look out!" Nelly warned the emo boy. But when Cyrus turned around, a small creature pounced on him and pinned him down, followed by more of them and soon his avatar flickered out from being scratched and beaten on. Nelly was able to strike down most of them with the help of Tatiana.

"I hope we're doing better than the other team." Tatiana said hopefully.

Soon enough, the second wave was finished. Lucy helped Jude to his feet after he took some damage from a soldier they both fought and Terrance went over to them.

"This sucks." The nerd girl grunted. "At least Jude is still here."

"Yeah but if this was the second wave, I'd hate to see the third one." Terrance shook his head.

Over at the Silver Terminators' side, they were slowly getting pushed back by the attack as well.

"Gah!" Desmond got hit by the smaller creatures as he was trying to push back a soldier.

"Eek! S-Stay away!" Phoebe cried out as some of the smaller creatures got past the front line of defense and started closing in on her and Valerie. Their smaller poles were enough to easily repel them back, however.

"We can still do this." Valerie encouraged her. "We just have to watch our backs." Phoebe nodded as they continued to defend.

Sarah fell back a little as a soldier locked weapons with her and it won. Arnold came to her aid immediately to whack the assailant in the head to grab its attention.

"Now, Sarah!" Arnold told her. The rocker girl gave a short nod as she tripped the soldier with her metal pole, making it fall to the ground painfully. Arnold twirled his weapon above his head for a moment became slamming it down upon its chest, fully making the soldier's avatar disappear.

"We did it!" Sarah cheered as she hugged him. Arnold hugged her back before breaking apart.

"We still need to help the rest of our team." Arnold said. He looked at the condition of the other members and saw a soldier fully striking down Desmond which made his avatar disappear.

At the same time, Marvin is seen fending off the smaller creatures.

"This is getting harder and harder." He remarked to himself as he blocked a blow from one of the creatures.

"Heads up!" Sarah told him as she pointed to his side. Marvin reacted fast and was able to block a strike from a soldier. Sarah came up to it and slammed her pole at the back of its head, stunning him for a short while.

"I-I'll help!" Phoebe exclaimed as she ran up from behind the soldier and tackled him to the ground, then proceeded to continuously hit it in the back of its head until its avatar flickered out.

"Whoa. Not bad, Phoebe." Sarah praised.

"Yeah, you saved me." Marvin smiled at her.

"Hey! I helped too." The rocker girl pointed out.

"Right, you did." Marvin scratched the back of his head. "Sorry."

"Argh!" All three of them turned around to see Valerie overwhelmed by the smaller creatures, pinning her down before a soldier finished her off and made her avatar flicker out.

"Oh n-no." Phoebe said sadly. Arnold and Jane came up behind the soldier and took it out while also killing off the small creatures that surrounded it but not before they damaged the payload.

"Am I too late?" Cassie came back running towards them, panting heavily.

"Well we managed to fend off the second wave." Marvin told her.

"But we lost a few of our teammates." Sarah said with a frown.

"V-Valerie didn't m-make it." Phoebe said sadly.

"You make it sound like she's dead for real." Sarah nervously chuckled.

"We lost Desmond as well." Jane called out as she approached them.

"I wonder if the other team is doing any better than us." Marvin pondered out loud.

"I don't think so. They're the physically weaker team." Arnold bragged. Sarah rapped him on the head.

"You better not jinx us, Arnold." The rocker girl scolded.

 **~Confessional~**

 **Tatiana:** Maybe I should stay closer to my team in the next wave. Time to go for the defensive mode!

 **Jude:** Being the only physical asset on this team is sure showing its disadvantages. I really hope we last longer than the other team.

 **Phoebe:** I r-really don't know how much longer I c-can keep this up. B-But I have to be brave f-for my team. I h-hope Cyrus can see this.

 **Jane:** Actually, we're doing pretty well if I do say so myself. I don't even know how the other team might have survived that.

 **~End Confessional~**

The Cyan Protoss moved backwards as the third wave came towards them. This wave had no small creatures and only a few soldiers. However, one of these soldiers is carrying two plasma staves instead of one. That same soldier is even looks and acts more robot than man.

"Is this the boss level?" Tatiana asked her teammates.

"Even if it isn't, I doubt we'll be able to make it out alive." Terrance said as he readied his weapon.

"We still gotta try." Jude told him. "At least until the Silver Terminators give in first."

"Then no more charging forth." Tatiana said. "I'll stay here and defend wit you guys." The mecha chocobo let out a squawking sound as the gamer girl twirled her metal pole.

"Will we be able to hold them off?" Lucy asked with worry.

"Definitely not. But just stay on the defensive." Nelly told her.

The Silver Terminators also saw their third wave heading straight for them.

"That one with the two blades must be their leader or something." Jane remarked.

"It might even be the one that contains the Statue." Marvin muttered to himself.

"Y'all just defend right there. I'll go and stop some of them there." Cassie announced as she set forth again, her body suit activating and making her run faster.

"I feel like this is a bad idea." Sarah said.

"What? So you want to go after Cassie?" Jane asked her.

"Yeah, for back up." Sarah said. "Arnold, can you help them out in the defense?"

"Well sure, yeah of course." Arnold nodded. "But are you gonna go up front?"

"Yeah. Jane is with me so we'll be fine." Sarah smirked as she and Jane rushed after Cassie to assist her.

"D-Do you think t-they'll be alright?" Phoebe asked no one in particular.

"Yes. I have faith in them." Marvin grinned as he went close to Phoebe. "And don't worry, we'll be fine in the defense."

 **~Confessional~**

 **Marvin:** A good way for Phoebe to notice me is to make her feel safe and assured. I have some doubts about their plan, of course, but I don't want to feel weak in front of her. Maybe it's my ego or something.

 **~End Confessional~**

The Cyan Protoss are currently clashing with the soldiers already. Some soldiers are going after Tatiana and trying to dismount her. Others are focusing on the payload itself and Nelly, Lucy, and Terrance are aiming to stop them. Jude is currently fighting the one with the two plasma weapons.

"Over there!" Nelly called out to Terrance as she pointed to a soldier bashing the crates.

"Got it." The techie boy ran over there while twirling his metal pole and then thrusted forward, knocking back the soldier. He was about to follow up with another attack but a soldier came up to him and blocked his strike. "Damn, they're getting good."

"Coming through!" Tatiana exclaimed as her animal slammed into the soldier Terrance was fighting. It got knocked back and hit the earlier soldier, sending both their avatars flickering out. She twirled her pole again and stabbed it at a soldier charging from her side, catching it by its neck and making it flicker out too.

"You're pretty good at this." Terrance noted.

"Thanks!" Tatiana beamed. However, this moment of distraction enabled a soldier to strike her from behind, dismounting her from her chocobo. "Aaah!"

Terrance turned to see that it was the soldier with the two plasma staves. "What the-" He glanced towards where Jude was and saw that he wasn't there anymore. "Jude lost!?"

 **~Confessional~**

 **Terrance:** It's good that Tatiana didn't charge forth and leave us, but without Jude this fight got a whole lot harder. *adjusts his glasses as he grunted*

 **~End Confessional~**

Meanwhile, the Silver Terminators are also locked in combat. Jane, Cassie, and Sarah are up front and are currently working together to fight a soldier and the one with two weapons while the rest of their teammates work to resist the ones that are heading straight for their payload.

"Eek! S-Stay back!" Phoebe screamed fearfully as she dodged an attack by a soldier. The attack went to the crate behind her and shattered it.

"Be careful! We can't have it destroyed." Arnold reminded her as he blocked a strike from a soldier that was about to slash down on the payload beside him. "Take this!" He delivered a hit to its head and it connected, knocking back the soldier. However, another soldier charged on by and tackled the soccer boy to the ground and locked weapons with him.

Marvin was busy fighting off two soldiers that converged on him as he was guarding the payload.

"Guys? A little help here?" He asked his teammates though they couldn't pay attention to him as they were all slowly being overwhelmed as well. A soldier caught his weapons and held it there long enough for its companion to deliver a killing blow to his back, making his avatar flicker out of the battlefield.

Meanwhile, the bigger soldier that is fighting the other three members of the team is fighting on equal ground.

"We can't seem to just pierce right through." Jane said to them as she ducked a blow aimed for her head.

"Cassie, can't you overpower it?" Sarah asked the rancher girl as she blocked a blow but ended up staggering backwards.

"I can try, y'all. But it's gonna leave me open." Cassie shook her head as she readied herself to duel the soldier. She started off with a strike to its body but it was easily blocked. It began to use the other staff to cut her down but Sarah blocked it.

"Jane, go around it and stun it!" Cassie ordered. Jane nodded and moved to go behind the soldier, twirling her metal pole before bringing it down on the soldier's head. It dealt enough damage to temporarily stun it, giving Cassie and Sarah enough time to keep whacking it with their own weapons. They managed to hack off its left arm before it regain its composure and resisted them.

"Cover me while I try to grab that!" Sarah pointed at the fallen plasma staff as she began to move towards it. The soldier saw what she was doing and raised its other staff to try and bring it down to her head, but Cassie moved in between them to block the blow. She succeeded, however, the soldier's strike was strong enough to push down Cassie's metal pole, making it pierce through Sarah's body just as she was about to grab the plasma staff. The rocker girl twitched a bit before her avatar disappeared.

"Well that just happened." Jane said as she moved back to gain better footing.

"Sorry." Cassie apologized as she moved back as well, preparing for any of the soldier's attacks.

"Wait I just realized that I have this." Jane took out her rope that was attached to her hip. "We can still take it down."

"Toss it here! I'll make a lasso while you distract it." Cassie told her. Jane did as she was told and soon the rancher girl went busy making a lasso while Jane distracted the bigger soldier.

Meanwhile, back with the Cyan Protoss, they were able to take out most of the other soldiers, and the bigger one was now stalking towards them as they fell back to their payload.

"This isn't good at all." Nelly gritted her teeth. "We're screwed."

"Not yet." Terrance said as he took out his EMP grenade. "It's not over yet."

"Is it really gonna work?" Tatiana asked him as she was on foot now while her mecha chocobo was busy battling two soldiers.

"It has to. So here's the plan, I throw this at his face and we pummel it." Terrance adjusted his glasses as he clutched the EMP grenade tightly in his hand.

"Then let's do it." Lucy nodded, though she was teary eyed.

"Wipe those tears away, because we're about to win." Nelly smirked as she held her weapon in an offensive stance.

Terrance nodded once as the soldier went closer to them, twirling both of its staves. The techie boy waited a bit longer.

"Hey, it's done!" Tatiana cheered as the mecha chocobo went back to her side and squawked. "Anytime now!" She exclaimed to Terrance.

"Now!" Terrance threw the EMP grenade directly to the soldier's chest and it exploded in a flash of sparks and blue electricity. The soldier was stunned in place and its plasma staves lost its power.

"Okay, let's go!" Nelly charged forth followed by Tatiana and her chocobo. The mecha animal went ahead and tackled it to the ground, disarming it and pinning it down while Nelly and Tatiana strike it in the guts and head. Soon, the soldier's avatar flickered out and left its weapons behind.

"Yes, we did it." Nelly breathed a sigh of relief.

"Cool!" Tatiana exclaimed as she picked up one plasma staff. She realized that the plasma blade wouldn't activate. "Aw." She tossed hers aside but then saw a small Statue on the spot where the soldier vanished. She picked that up and examined it, then realized its an Invincibility Statue. "Whoa. This is so cool." She squealed highly but softly as she stashed it inside the hatch of her chocobo.

Nelly picked up the other plasma staff and secretly kept it. "This might still be useful." She said to herself.

"Oh no." Lucy said grimly.

"What is it?" Terrance looked at the soft spoken girl. Lucy pointed ahead and he followed with his gaze. There in the distance is another wave of enemies. Numerous soldiers marched towards their location and smaller creatures came in swarms.

"Well that's it." Nelly dropped her metal pole and walked back to the payload. "Gotta wait for our doom."

The mecha chocobo backed off as the small creatures drew nearer. It let out a squawk but they remained aggressive.

"Not now." Tatiana's voice shook as she gripped her metal pole tight. Suddenly, an alarm was heard and the horde suddenly stopped. "Wha-?"

Back over at the Silver Terminators' side, Cassie had successfully disabled the soldier with the lasso as Jane drove her metal pole through its back. The soldier flickered out and left behind a small Invincibility Statue. Both girls inspected it.

"Is that an Invincibility Statue?" Cassie asked Jane.

"Yeah. Wanna have it?" Jane offered.

"Really? I mean, thanks." Cassie smiled as she took it. "You don't want it?"

"Let's just say that I'm covered." Jane smirked. "Anyways, it looks like we're done here."

They heard a loud alarm go off from near them.

"Attention, everyone. The Cyan Protoss win today's challenge!" Chris' voice was heard though he himself was not present.

"What?" Jane demanded. "How come?"

"Check your payload." Chris ordered. Both of them rushed back to check on their payload and found that is was completely destroyed. Two soldiers stood there while Phoebe and Arnold were nowhere to be found.

"Ah shucks." Cassie tipped her hat forward grimly.

"Silver Terminators, I'll see you in an hour for your elimination ceremony." Chris chuckled. Jane and Cassie groaned as they walked back to their outpost.

* * *

 **(Cyan Protoss)**

Terrance, Tatiana, Nelly, and Lucy made their way back to the outpost and chatting along the way.

"That challenge was awesome!" Tatiana cheered. Her chocobo squawked in agreement.

"Is it because we won, or because you got to test drive your animal?" Nelly smirked.

"Both!" The gamer girl nodded.

"Too bad though, Chris said a soldier might have an Invincibility Statue but I haven't seen it yet." Lucy said softly.

"Well it doesn't matter now since Chris cleared the field." Terrance pointed out. "Speaking of Statues, I wonder who got the two Statues from the robot challenge. The one where we built our own."

"Beats me." Tatiana shrugged.

"It's whatever I guess." Nelly said dismissively. "Whoever has it is bound to be bragging it right about now."

"Maybe." Terrance said, unsure.

"I'm glad we won, though." Lucy smiled. "Not to rain on our parade, but I didn't think we'd win a physical challenge like that."

"I see your point. Statistically speaking, the other team are stronger." Nelly agreed. "But we just proved that great minds are better than barbaric brawn!" She gestured towards the mecha chocobo.

"Plus the rider wasn't so bad herself." Terrance complimented with a side smirk. This made Tatiana blush a little.

"Aw, thanks guys." The gamer girl said as she pulled in the three of them into a hug.

"Can't...breathe.." Lucy said weakly.

"Not...comfortable.." Terrance added. Both their faces look a bit flustered.

 **~Confessional~**

 **Tatiana:** To be honest, I wanted to tell them that I got this challenge's Invincibility Statue, but I wanted it to be a secret too. You know, like a hero's trump card or secret weapon or something.

 **Lucy:** *her right eye is red* I need to know the people who have Statues so I can make sure that eliminations go my way and my way alone. These little twists that Chris gives us is...quite troublesome at best.

 **~End Confessional~**

The rest of the Cyan Protoss were already at the outpost. They all saw one cube from the locked door disappear.

"I guess this is our reward for winning." Jude scratched the back of his head.

"They really pulled through for us, that's nice." Ivy smiled as she sat down at a chair in the living room.

"I'm the team's physical asset and I got taken out. I'm pretty much a disgrace." Jude sighed in disappointment.

"Don't feel bad. We all have our off days. Moreover, predicting the number of opponents per wave is difficult." Nataline told him. "The second wave simply caught us by surprise."

"You're just as much as a disgrace for being taken out too." Cyrus sneered. "You're nothing special."

"Stop speaking like that to our teammates." Ivy scolded him but Cyrus glared at her.

"And you just stay out of this. This is a perfect time for you to just space out!" Cyrus retorted.

"Man, does this guy ever chill?" Jude whispered to Nataline.

"I once lost my cool arguing with him. It's time we learn to simply ignore him." Nataline suggested, whispering back.

"Yeah, gossip all you want." Cyrus turned his attention back at the two of them. "None of you even won a challenge for us anyway."

"It was only the second challenge for the new teams." Ivy pointed out.

"And you guys suck at holding your own! This victory was probably a fluke!" Cyrus countered back.

"Just a fluke? You're lucky the other four aren't here right now." Jude rolled his eyes.

 **~Confessional~**

 **Cyrus:** These people act so high and mighty just because we won a challenge. I'm telling you, we're the weaker team by far so this one victory was definitely a fluke.

 **Jude:** Seriously, Cyrus is so annoying. I wanna beat him up again but I'd rather listen to Nataline's advice. It's not good to get distracted by people like him especially if you're the only physically strong person here on this team.

 **~End Confessional~**

* * *

 **(Silver Terminators)**

Phoebe was outside of the outpost, waiting for Jane and Cassie to come back. Marvin saw her and decided to approach her.

"Waiting for the other two?" Marvin asked her.

"Y-Yes." Phoebe nodded. "I want to talk t-to them about the v-v-vote."

"Right, we did lose after all." Marvin said rather sadly. "I was thinking that maybe we should vote off Shane."

"Shane?" Phoebe repeated.

"Yeah, because the team doesn't like him much." Marvin explained. "Arnold and Sarah seem to value team morale here, and Shane is clearly against that. He may be a Green Drell member, but we don't have close ties with the guy anyway."

"Y-You're right." Phoebe admitted. "He does act m-mean too. Especially on t-the times I try to exercise s-so that I could help t-the team better."

"I also think our team will be in high spirits with him gone." Marvin nodded. "Now Desmond is also an interesting character."

"Really?" Phoebe tilted her head.

"He doesn't socialize much with the rest of the team as far as I know." Marvin said. "He's a physical threat but tries not to make that obvious." He added.

"Do y-you think he's p-planning something?" Phoebe asked him.

"I'm pondering about that but I can't say for sure." Marvin said while tapping his chin in thought. "Anyways, here they are now." Sure enough, Jane and Cassie are headed towards them.

"H-Hey guys." Phoebe greeted. "We w-were just talking about the vote."

"Oh really?" Jane glanced at Marvin. "I didn't know you two were close."

"We're friends." Phoebe smiled. Marvin furrowed his brow but said nothing.

"Then that's good." Cassie nodded. "We were talking about the vote too while going back here. We wanted to settle for Shane."

"W-We were just talking a-about voting him out too." Phoebe said, surprised.

Just then, Valerie stepped outside of the outpost too and saw them.

"Heya, everyone~" The flirt greeted with a wink. "What'cha talking about?"

"The vote." Marvin told her. "We're voting for Shane tonight."

"Aw, why him?" Valerie pouted. "He's hot and mysterious?"

"But he's also not a good team player." Jane pointed out to her. "I also get that he's a strong player and that he basically won us the last challenge, but it's time we consider the long run."

"Plus it makes Arnold and Sarah trust us more. And they are better to keep in the long run." Cassie added.

"Well, I'll think about it." Valerie kept pouting. "I still don't know." She turned away from then and began walking the other direction.

"Ya won't regret voting for him." Cassie called after her but she gave no response.

 **~Confessional~**

 **Valerie:** On one hand, it's gonna be good for team morale like they said, but I'm sure I can make Shane have a change of heart. A little...persuasion wouldn't hurt. *she winks* But in order for this to happen, he must not be voted off tonight. Or maybe it really is a good idea to just drop him.

 **Cassie:** I hope Valerie votes for Shane. I can't force the gal, but we need to get in Arnold and Sarah's good side. But then again, I don't know how that gal thinks.

 **Marvin:** I was originally going to talk to Phoebe about more...personal matters to try and get closer to her, but it ended up being a talk of strategy. Oh well.

 **~End Confessional~**

Shane and Desmond were hanging out in the living room, talking about the vote.

"So how should we vote?" Desmond asked Shane.

"We vote for Phoebe and force the others to do the same." Shane grunted.

"Well yeah, we did talk about it earlier. But how are you gonna make the others vote for her?" Desmond raised an eyebrow.

"Are you guys talking about the votes?" Arnold asked as he and Sarah went downstairs.

"You guys were upstairs the whole time?" Shane furrowed his brow.

"I did hear...kissing noises earlier." Desmond remarked. Arnold and Sarah both blushed.

"Well...I...We..It's none of your business!" Sarah said to them. "So anyway, are you guys talking about tonight's elimination? Because if so then I have a proposal for you."

"What is it?" Desmond asked. Shane glanced at him but could only sigh.

"I want you guys to vote for Valerie." Sarah announced.

"Valerie?" Desmond repeated.

"Sarah said it's because Valerie is really social, and therefore could be the leader of the secret Green Drell alliance." Arnold explained.

"There's a secret Green Drell alliance?" Shane deadpanned.

"Look, there are five Green Drell members here, which is clearly the majority. But then I doubt they'll let you in because of your attitude." Sarah pointed at Shane, who glared at her in response. "But if you're really not one of them, then you'll vote for Valerie with us."

"Why not Phoebe? She's weaker." Desmond suggested.

"Because Phoebe is my friend now!" Sarah told him.

"But you just said she might be in this secret alliance." Shane deadpanned once more.

"Yeah but she's kinda my friend now so no one votes for her!" Sarah declared.

"But it's up to you though." Arnold shrugged. "Even though babe's idea is so awesome." He kissed her on the cheek and she blushed.

"Get a room." Shane rolled his eyes.

"That's what they did earlier." Desmond reminded him.

 **~Confessional~**

 **Desmond:** I guess...we have no choice but to obey them for now. Splitting the votes doesn't seem like a good idea especially since we don't know how the others are voting. Ugh, why did Chris give such a short time to decide?

 **Sarah:** After Valerie, it's Marvin next. He's weak too so it won't be much of a loss. And no, I will not vote for Phoebe!

 **~End Confessional~**

* * *

 **(Elimination Ceremony)**

Everyone gathered at the elimination site with the Silver Terminators taking their seats in the middle. Chris stood in front of them holding eight space food containers.

"Silver Terminators, welcome to your first elimination ceremony." Chris started. "It's time for one of you to go and I have the votes right here. Let's get on with this so I won't be late for my massage later." He checked his watch.

"Those safe are..." He began. "Jane."

"Arnold."

"Marvin."

"Desmond."

"Cassie."

"Sarah."

This left Phoebe, Shane, and Valerie in the bottom three.

"The rest of you received at least one vote for tonight." Chris told them.

"What? Really?" Valerie looked surprised.

"I don't care." Shane rolled his eyes.

"Eek." Phoebe looked scared.

"But another one safe tonight is...Phoebe!" Chris tossed a container to her which she caught. "Shane, Valerie, one of you will be going home tonight...

.

.

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...is what I would say if the votes weren't tied!" Chris announced.

"Wait, what?" Valerie sat up straight now.

"It's a tie?" Shane repeated.

"That's right, which is why I have a tie breaker." Chris said as he snapped his fingers. Two medium sized metal poles were summoned forth in front of them. "For this tie breaker challenge, you'll be dueling with these weapons from the earlier challenge." Chris smirked. "Whoever gets killed will not respawn back here but rather return to the real world now."

"Oh no." Valerie frowned as she grasped the pole. She couldn't do a proper stance due to its weight.

"So this is what you guys have been doing." Shane said as he picked up his and practiced doing some thrusting motions. "This should be easy."

Both of them stood opposite of each other and waited for Chris' go signal.

"Remember Valerie, you were part of the challenge and Shane was not." Jane said to her. "You have the advantage."

"But she can't wield it properly." Marvin glanced at the way she was holding her weapon.

"I think she'll lose." Desmond shrugged.

"Let the tie breaker challenge begin!" Chris declared.

Shane immediately charged forth and delivered a body blow to Valerie. She managed to block it but she staggered backwards.

"You're not gonna win this." Shane growled.

"I can try!" Valerie said back as she blocked another blow. She delivered one of her own, aiming for his head but Shane ducked and thrust his weapon towards her gut, piercing her and immediately making her avatar flicker out.

"Too easy if I do say so myself." Shane smirked.

"And it looks like Shane won!" Chris announced. "It was an easy match, after all." He chuckled.

"S-She didn't even get to say her l-last words." Phoebe frowned.

"Who cares? She's still the 17th place loser." Chris snorted. "Anyways, go back to your outposts, go shoo! My appointment is coming up." His avatar flickered out of the virtual world.

"Well that was kinda anti-climatic." Marvin shook his head as his team stood up and left. The Cyan Protoss also began to head back.

 **~Votes~**

 **Marvin:** They want to vote off Shane to increase team morale. It's not the most reasonable of strategies but it'll do.

 **Phoebe:** I v-vote for Shane. I h-hope this works because he's s-starting to scare me.

 **Jane:** It's time for Shane to go. His attitude is starting to annoy me.

 **Desmond:** I'm going with the flow and voting for Valerie. I don't know where Sarah is going with this, but it's no use arguing about it now.

 **Shane:** Tsk, as much as I hate to do this, I vote for Valerie.

 **Sarah:** I'm voting for Valerie, the social butterfly. I know that we bonded last time, but I seriously suspect that you all are in a secret alliance.

 **Arnold:** I'm voting for what my babe wants, and that's Valerie. No hard feelings.

 **Cassie:** My vote goes to Shane. Here's hoping Valerie does the same too.

 **Valerie:** I can't vote for a hot guy like Shane, and I'm sure he can still change so I'm taking a random vote choice and its Phoebe. I mean, who would vote for cute little Phoebe, right?

 **~Eliminated~**

 **(24th place) Richard - The Maestro**

 **(23rd place) Delilah - The Serpent**

 **(22nd place) Felix - The Prankster**

 **(21st place) Harvey - The Chill Guy**

 **(20th place) Betty - The Phone Addict**

 **(19th place) Nicholas - The Detective**

 **(18th place) Wesley - The Blue Blood**

 **(17th place) Valerie - The Energetic Flirt**

* * *

Chris stood inside the Drama Dome with a flashing smile on his face. "The Silver Terminators attended their first elimination ceremony and took out Valerie! How will the former members of Green Drell take this loss? Will Marvin be able to tell Phoebe how he feels now that Valerie is gone? Is Sarah right or just delusional? How will Cassie's and Tatiana's Invincibility Statues affect their game? And will Cyrus ever stop being so obnoxious? Find out next time on Total..Drama..Sci-Fi Showdown!" The camera turned off.

* * *

 **Valerie is a character that was meant to be early game fodder, but then I decided to lengthen her stay because she had more to offer than I thought. As someone who is cheerful and suggestive, Valerie was a positive force in the cast. Her supposed plot with Marvin and Phoebe was simply a fluke because I have other plans for those two. Other than that, she fulfilled her role as the resident flirt and overall positive energy and so it's time for her to leave. She was fun to write, and I hope you guys liked her too. :) XBloodLegendX**


	11. Chapter 11: One Track, Four Minds

**"Hate, it has caused a lot of problems in the world, but has not solved one yet." - Maya Angelou**

* * *

Chris stood inside the Drama Dome, flashing his signature smirk as the camera panned in on him and the large hologram beside him. "Last time on Total Drama Sci-Fi Showdown..." He started. "The two teams were tasked to defend a payload, with the loser being decided when their payload gets completely destroyed by the enemy. Their only main weapons were metal poles but they were allowed to use past items as well as whatever new ones they have."

The hologram showed the Silver Terminators guarding their payload. "The Silver Terminators had to sit someone out and they chose Shane to take one for the team, despite his protests." He chuckled. "Cassie decided to go charge ahead to stop the wave head on, her body suit being the main factor in her success. The rest of the team formed lines of defense around the payload to stop those that escaped Cassie's strikes."

The hologram now showed the Cyan Protoss defending their payload. "Meanwhile, the Cyan Protoss were not all that confident about their physical skills, but some of them had a glimmer of hope when Tatiana presented her new mount, the mecha chocobo. The gamer girl charged forth and trampled on the enemies, giving the rest of them an easier time defending."

The hologram now showed a scene where Terrance threw his EMP grenade and when Jane, Cassie, and Sarah were fighting the bigger soldier. "In the end, the assets of the Cyan Protoss gave them the win, making the Silver Terminators up for elimination. They eliminated Valerie, the resident flirt, but that was not the most interesting part. What's interesting is that Cassie and Tatiana now have Invincibility Statues as part of the spoils of the challenge."

Chris spreads out his arms in a dramatic fashion. "Which team will win today's challenge? Can the Silver Terminators make a comeback? Is Marvin next on the chopping block? Will Tatiana tell her team or her friends about her Statue? What will Nelly do with the broken weapon that she picked up from the fallen soldier? Find out now on Total...Drama...Sci-Fi Showdown!"

* * *

 **(Silver Terminators)**

 **~Confessional~**

 **Sarah:** It's a good thing Shane won that tie breaker and that Valerie was eliminated. Honestly, this secret alliance thing isn't showing itself as something obvious. Maybe I'm wrong.

 **~End Confessional~**

Sarah was changing clothes inside the bedroom when Phoebe woke up and rubbed her eyes. The doll faced girl had a sad look in her eyes as she glanced towards Valerie's empty bed.

"Hey look..." Sarah started slowly and cautiously. "About last night..."

"W-Why did you vote for V-Valerie?" Phoebe squeaked. "I t-thought we were friends."

"But we are!" Sarah insisted. "That vote last night wasn't anything personal." She defended.

"So why d-d-did you vote her off?" Phoebe asked her, narrowing her eyes. "S-She wasn't e-even bringing down team m-morale."

"I just..." Sarah tried to say. "Well I can't really say...why."

"So you v-voted for you because y-you didn't have any other targets i-in mind?" Phoebe asked. "You could h-have voted for S-Shane." She argued though rather meekly.

"Well...Yeah." Sarah admitted. "I'm not good at this voting stuff. I guess I got a little overwhelmed...Ehehe..." She scratched the back of her head embarrassingly but Phoebe still looked sad.

"I m-miss Valerie." The doll faced girl said softly.

"Sorry..." Was all Sarah told her as she awkwardly got up and left the room.

 **~Confessional~**

 **Sarah:** Okay now I feel sooo guilty for doing it. Maybe I should eliminate Phoebe and let her reunite with Valerie, yeah that's it. That can totally work. *she smiled broadly*

 **Phoebe:** I d-don't really see any reason to vote o-out Valerie. S-She's pretty, nice, brings about g-good team morale, and is b-better to keep rather than someone l-like Shane. What if...What if I-I'll be voted out next!? *she cowers in anxiety*

 **~End Confessional~**

Cassie went outside the outpost after breakfast to see Shane and Desmond hanging out by the entrance.

"Howdy, boys." Cassie greeted icily. "Have y'all seen Valerie lately? Haven't seen her all morning."

"Tsk. Get over it, it's part of the game for someone to get eliminated." Shane retorted.

"I know, so why are ya still here?" Cassie spat. "Valerie deserves to stay more than ya do."

"You don't know that. We're not even in the merge yet." Desmond pointed out.

"I don't even see why voting for her was a good idea." Cassie shook her head. "She did nothing wrong."

"She was weak. Weak people don't deserve to stay." Shane said coldly as he narrowed his eyes at her, to which she returned the gaze.

"What's going on here?" Jane asked as she walked out of the outpost as well.

"These two have weak reasons for voting out Valerie last night." Cassie told her.

"Shane wants to save his own skin too, you know." Desmond interjected. "It's only fair."

"I'm surprised you're defending him." Jane raised her eyebrow at him. "What, is he your new Felix?" She snorted with a side smirk.

"Don't get so cocky. You don't have an alliance as well." Desmond rolled his eyes.

"Well actually, she does." Cassie said as she stepped forward and got in Desmond's face. "She has me and Phoebe."

This brought a look of shock on Desmond's face but he quickly replaced it with a cold stare. Shane also looked grim.

"I got nothing to say to you weaklings." Shane said dismissively. "Come talk to me when you've actually won us a challenge." He left the scene as he headed for the forest.

"You gonna leave too?" Jane glanced towards Desmond. "Go on, go join your little partner. We'll see who has the last laugh."

"If you think eliminating Shane is good for the team, then you're pretty delusional yourself." Desmond shook his head as he left and followed Shane.

"I'm a survivor, not a quitter." Jane called after him.

"And we ain't about to let this stand." Cassie added.

 **~Confessional~**

 **Desmond:** They're acting all righteous trying to avenge Valerie. They fail to see that it's really part of the game that someone gets eliminated. And Shane is a valuable asset to the team, not Valerie. All she does is flirt around and act all friendly. Kinda like Wesley to be honest, though in a less subtle way.

 **Shane:** Those clowns are gonna see their friend soon. *he snickers* But I'd rather not risk another elimination if I can help it.

 **Cassie:** *she tips her hat forward* Nobody messes with my friends, and avenging Valerie is what I'm gonna do. Good thing I got Jane an' Phoebe on my side. Maybe it's high time I officially let Marvin into the group too. I think they're friends too so he's gotta have to say yes to joining us.

 **~End Confessional~**

Marvin was eating breakfast with both Arnold and Sarah in the outpost. The two lovers are happily talking with each other while the other boy remained silent for the duration of the breakfast.

"I did a curve shot, and when the goalkeeper moved in to catch it, it hit his crotch instead!" Arnold laughed and so did the rocker girl. "His face was worth it!" Arnold then mimicked a constipated face and Sarah laughed even harder.

"Oh my God, that face!" The rocker girl burst out laughing.

"Too bad it was just a friendly match. If that was a tournament match, the crowd would definitely go wild." Arnold said with a smirk.

"Hey Marvin, why don't you share a story?" Sarah turned towards the other boy in the room with them. Marvin looked up from his empty plate.

"My life isn't as interesting as both of yours." Marvin with a light shrug. "I'm not in a sports team and I didn't join our school's music club."

"So what are you good at?" Arnold asked him. "You gotta have some talent with a cool story behind it."

"Like I said, nothing to share." Marvin said. "But I'm good at my academics though."

"Like a nerd?" Arnold raised his eyebrow.

"Probably. I'm not in their circle though." Marvin told him. "I don't think I belong in any social circle."

"Hey that's not true." Sarah said.

"But it is. My circle of friends is small and they also don't belong in any social group." Marvin shrugged again as he stood up. "Excuse me, I gotta go use the bathroom." He went inside the bathroom and left the two lovers there.

"Do you think...he feels sad because Valerie left last night?" Sarah asked the soccer player.

"I wouldn't be surprised if he did. They were from the same original team after all." Arnold responded. "So, do you really think they have a secret alliance going on?"

"I'm not a hundred percent sure yet." Sarah admitted. "But I swear, I have a feeling they do. Right?"

 **~Confessional~**

 **Arnold:** Well seeing as how Marvin is sad that Valerie left means that Sarah's theory might actually be true. Whoa, my girlfriend is so smart. Well, time for me to prove my worth by winning us the next challenge. *he flexes his lean muscles*

 **Marvin:** Now that Valerie is gone, there is no one to help me admit my feelings to Phoebe. I guess all I can do now is help win challenges so I won't get eliminated, or Phoebe for that matter. I don't know why they voted her out, but all I know is that we're divided enough to watch our own backs from each other.

 **~End Confessional~**

* * *

 **(Cyan Protoss)**

Terrance woke up to find Cyrus also stretching as he woke up as well.

"Oh joy, the nerd is awake." Cyrus rolled his eyes drowsily. "Are you gonna roll for perception so you'll know where your glasses are?"

"The fact that you know DnD is disturbing enough for your kind." Terrance shook his head as he grabbed his glasses and wore them.

"My kind? At least I'm not as unprivileged as YOUR kind." Cyrus retorted.

"You know, I kinda hoped we could get along, for being outcasts and all, but then I figured you're not worth the trouble." Terrance remarked.

"At least I can dish out real art." Cyrus rolled his eyes. "That little bird creature thing you have outside is nothing. It's a cold and lifeless machine." He added.

"Like you?" Terrance asked coldly but in amusement as he walked out of the bedroom.

"Emos have passions too you know." Cyrus glared from behind Terrance as he followed the techie boy out.

"And so do I, but you don't see me dissing others about it." Terrance rolled his eyes in annoyance as he went downstairs.

"Well fine, I'll just get straight to the point." Cyrus groaned. "I actually do have something good to say."

"Well that's new." Terrance stopped in the living room and turned around to face him. "Fine, what do you got?"

"I want an alliance with you." Cyrus finally said. Terrance raised his eyebrow but Cyrus just groaned again. "I know you hate Nataline and want to get her out, and I can help you do it as long we have have each other's backs in the merge. Oh and Jude is also a viable person to kick out, right?"

"Well yeah I do hate Nataline, and yeah Jude can get pretty dangerous after merge hits," Terrance considered. "But working with you? It's really not worth it. I'd sooner eliminate you." Terrance said dismissively as he turned around again and went inside the bathroom.

Cyrus clenched his fist and stormed outside the outpost.

 **~Confessional~**

 **Cyrus:** Damn! Why can't I get myself an alliance!? Not even Terrance wants to side with me against a common enemy. What am I supposed to do now? Oh wait, there is still one option. One, very stupid option. *he sighs*

 **Terrance:** Did you guys honestly think I'd stoop so low as to work with Cyrus in order to get Nataline and Jude out? I'm not really that desperate. After all, I have Lucy on my side now. All that's left is for Nelly and Tatiana to see reason. I...kinda realize my alliance members are all girls. I'm not comfortable around girls if you all remember. *he sighs*

 **~End Confessional~**

Tatiana saw Nataline by the side of the outpost sitting on a large rock, picking out flowers and removing their petals one by one.

"Hey, Nataline!" Tatiana ran up to the noble girl.

"Good morning, Tatiana." Nataline greeted back. "Did you need something?"

"Just wanna talk to my friend." Tatiana exclaimed as she sat on the ground across from the other girl.

"You're really so nice." Nataline smiled. "But I don't know what we should talk about."

"That's okay, I do!" Tatiana nodded her head with a grin. "Let's talk about your place. What's it like? You look really rich so I imagine that you live in this large mansion with butlers and maids and two giant guard dogs."

"Well yes, I do live in a large mansion." Nataline nodded. "And as for your other thought, I don't really keep count of how many servants I have because of how busy I am but I can estimate that I have more than twenty servants. Oh, and I don't like dogs." She smiled.

"Wait- You have over twenty servants!?" Tatiana exclaimed in shock. She thought for a while and said, "How big is your mansion anyway? And I'm pretty sure some of them do other things than clean and cook."

"It is quite big." Nataline told her. "And I really wouldn't know what else they do. They tend to leave me alone as I work."

"You're lucky you have servants to clean your mansion. Me and my sister have to do our part in the chores." Tatiana said. "But it's alright. It's kinda like a game too!"

"You sure do love games, huh?" Nataline remarked.

"Of course! Anything and everything in life is a game if you have the right imagination." Tatiana told her.

"A game huh..." Nataline looked down and thought about it.

"What's the matter?" Tatiana tilted her head in confusion.

"Oh, nothing. I just thought of what you said, is all." Nataline laughed lightly.

 **~Confessional~**

 **Tatiana:** Nataline is really fun to be with, and I think my friendship level with her just increased. Tomorrow, I'm gonna raise my friendship level with Terrance!

 **Nataline:** Treating life and all its challenges as a game? Can I really do that? Does she think it's all a game to her? I like to take it seriously since I have a lot of burden on my shoulders, but maybe she said that before she's so carefree.

 **~End Confessional~**

Ivy was walking around the edge of the forest area when she saw Jude and Lucy talking over at a distance. She tilted her head and decided to approach them but stopped in her tracks as she listened in.

"So we're gonna make this secret alliance official now?" Jude asked Lucy.

"Of course. We can start by eliminating Ivy, and then we get rid of Nelly for leaving our alliance." Lucy said.

"And..um..what about us? Are we...you know..." Jude tried to say as he scratched the back of his head.

"Yes. We're official too." Lucy said happily while blushing as she stood on her tip toes and gave him a peck on the lips.

Jude held her close and his face also looked so happy. "I'm so glad I finally get to make you my girlfriend."

"I know. I'm happy too. You're always there for me and you're so kind too!" Lucy exclaimed.

"Of course." Jude flexed his muscles a bit. "I'll protect you from harm. We're definitely gonna be a great couple."

"Let's not get ahead of ourselves." Lucy giggled. "We still have a game to win."

"Oh, yeah." Jude chuckled awkwardly. "Right, but after this game ends, I'll take you out on a date."

"Yay, thank you Jude!" Lucy clapped her hands and hugged him. "Now I gotta go talk to Nataline about this."

"Yeah, she'll totally be happy for us." Jude grinned. "I'll stick around and gather more materials for my arrows." He entered the forest area and disappeared among the plants and trees.

Lucy started to head back and Ivy began to space out right there, not realized that the other girl had already found her and is now standing next to her.

"Ivy?" Lucy said softly. "What are you doing here?"

"Oh." Ivy snapped out of her daze. "Nothing." She left the scene and didn't look back.

Lucy's right eye flashed red as she glared at Ivy walking away.

 **~Confessional~**

 **Lucy:** *her right eye is red* She was listening in, wasn't she? She might tell the others of my secret alliance with Jude, but I'm not worried. Nataline believes in me and Terrance knows better than to listen to someone like her. Her word holds no water. Hehehehe.

 **Jude:** *he is currently putting together a makeshift arrow* Tatiana's chocobo animal thingy really helped her carry this team to victory in the last challenge so I think I'll have to use my makeshift bow and arrow to help the team too. Sure it isn't futuristic or anything but I'm a good shot. Now, what kind of flowers does Lucy like?

 **Ivy:** So Jude and Lucy are together now? I see. I guess eavesdropping didn't do well for me.

 **~End Confessional~**

Cyrus is in the living room in the outpost just thinking to himself when Nataline entered. The emo boy glared at her and she returned the gaze as she headed upstairs.

"She won't be here long." Cyrus muttered to himself. "But still...I need allies." He grumbled.

Suddenly, the bathroom door for the girls opened and Nelly walked out. She noticed Cyrus sitting in the living room and scoffed.

"Well this is a very not unusual sight. In fact, it's getting kinda boring and old." Nelly remarked as she passed by the emo boy. "Go get some friends or something." She gave a side smirk.

"What the hell do you want?" Cyrus sneered at her as he rolled his eyes. "Just go socialize with your other nerd friends."

"At least we're not bored in here." Nelly shrugged in faux innocence. "Do you just sit there or anywhere alone? That's so sad. Maybe you should just go to the resort and...sit there alone." She laughed.

Cyrus just glared at her icily. "I swear if you don't shut up..."

"You'll do what?" Nelly challenged as she raised her eyebrow.

"I'll eliminate you from this game." Cyrus suddenly gave a confident smirk.

"You think you have the power to do that?" Nelly said with an amused scoff. "That's nice."

"I guess we'll see at the next elimination." Cyrus said dismissively as he stood up and left the outpost.

Nataline went downstairs again, taking note that Nelly is in the room and Cyrus isn't.

"And now, the other person I hate." Nelly sighed irritably as she glanced towards the noble girl.

"The feeling is mutual." Nataline huffed. "I have better things to do than talking to you, anyway." She waved her hand dismissively.

"Hey, that's supposed to be my line!" Nelly exclaimed as Nataline left the outpost, leaving the nerd alone.

 **~Confessional~**

 **Nelly:** Both Cyrus and Nataline are so annoying. I hope Tatiana votes with me and Terrance next time and take out one of them. It gets on my nerves that these two are still in this thing. I mean, of course it's because we won, but still! They aren't smart enough to compete and that's for sure!

 **Cyrus:** *he takes out his Invincibility Statue* Fine then, so what if I don't have allies? I can turn the votes around with this. They won't ever see it coming.

 **~End Confessional~**

* * *

Chris' hologram appeared in both outposts' living rooms.

"Good morning, contestants!" He greeted. "And since I don't care about your mornings, I'll get straight to the point."

A portal was summoned forth into the living rooms, either in silver or in cyan depending on the team outpost.

"Another portal, yay." Cyrus remarked dryly in his team's side.

"I wonder what is beyond it." Marvin pondered out loud.

"Your challenge will take place in the area beyond that portal." Chris explained. "But you will not go in at once, rather by pairs." He snapped his fingers and another hologram appeared beside him, this time a showing the appearance of a futuristic emblem. "Your challenge is to run across a single track, where in the end lies an emblem like this. There will be a few obstacles and of course, the other team to worry about. Once again, you can bring whatever asset you have in your possession. The team with the most emblems win the challenge. Oh and the respawn concept works here once again."

"Alright!" Tatiana exclaimed. Nelly gave a side smirk as she held the plasma staff.

"This is mighty cool, y'all." Cassie said as she held up her bodysuit.

"Now, here's the fun part of this challenge." Chris told them. "I will be choosing the pairs." He chuckled.

"Hmm?" Shane raised his eyebrow.

"I have a bad feeling about this." Terrance muttered.

"Now let's begin!" Chris exclaimed. "For the first round, the pair for the Silver Terminators will be Phoebe and Marvin."

"Eeek! I-I'm going first?" Phoebe asked fearfully. Marvin placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Don't worry. We can win this." Marvin assured her.

"Good luck you two." Jane encouraged.

"Y-Yes." Phoebe said with little conviction. Shane rolled his eyes at this.

The chosen pair went inside the portal to the challenge location.

"And for the Cyan Protoss, Nelly and Cyrus." Chris said to the other team from their outpost.

"Give me a freaking break." Nelly deadpanned.

"Are you serious? This nerd wouldn't be able to keep up." Cyrus snorted.

"We'll see about that." Nelly glared at him but soon gave a side smile as she walked through the portal. Cyrus groaned but followed.

"Did she just smile?" Tatiana asked Terrance.

"Yeah, and I saw her carry something metal in her hand." Terrance noted.

* * *

 **(Cyrus and Nelly vs Phoebe and Marvin)**

The other ends of the portals were side by side, and the two chosen pairs emerged from them at the same time. The entire area around them is pitch black like a void, and the only thing there is a straight path ahead, made of small tiles attached together like pixels. At the very end of the path is a metallic podium-like structure where the emblem was, floating above it and gleaming brightly. Chris' hologram appeared in front of the four of them.

"Welcome to the Virtual Void!" Chris exclaimed. "This is where you will do the challenge. I hope you remember the rules."

"I do, so where are these obstacles you mentioned?" Nelly raised her eyebrow. "There is absolutely nothing that can stop us."

"U-Um, excuse me?" Phoebe interjected. "W-We're here to win too so we'll s-stop you."

Nelly glanced at her and sighed before turning back to the Chris hologram. "See? No obstacles at all."

"Well I see you still got your arrogance." Chris chuckled. "But here are the obstacles you'll face." A few pixels lowered down and away from view before rising back up again, this time revealing that there are turrets placed on it.

"That's it?" Cyrus asked. "No offense, but you're Chris. Usually there would be a lot more than this."

"I hate to say it, but I agree with him." Nelly nodded.

"Perhaps this area could only cater to a few obstacles at a time." Marvin pondered.

"For the record, I didn't want to reveal all the obstacles in one go." Chris defended. "It's so that you won't give a heads up to your teammates when you get back."

"T-That seems fair." Phoebe agreed meekly.

"Nobody asked for your opinion." Cyrus glared at her and the doll faced girl yelped in backed away.

"Always the cruel one, I see." Marvin remarked.

"Shut up. Just prepare to lose." Cyrus grunted as he stepped forward.

"Then are you guys ready?" Chris asked them. They all nodded. "Then on your mark...get set...go!" His hologram flickered out immediately as the four contestants took off running.

Cyrus grinned slightly as he stuck his foot out to trip Phoebe, making her fall down on her face.

"Ow! H-Hey!" Phoebe said in pain.

"Phoebe!" Marvin quickly turned around and went back, helping her get up. Nelly passed them as they did this.

"We got this in the bag." Cyrus said to her. "And it's all thanks to me." As he said that, the turrets took noticed of him and began firing, knocking him back and making him fall to the ground.

"And that's why you suck." Nelly sighed as she turned on her plasma staff.

 **~Confessional~**

 **Marvin:** That was a cheap move by Cyrus. I really have no idea why he hates Phoebe that much but I cannot allow that to continue. This time, we'll be winning this challenge.

 **Nelly:** *she twirls her plasma staff* It's a good thing I fixed this first thing in the morning. Never thought I'd have to test it right away but it looks like it's gonna work.

 **~End Confessional~**

Nelly kept running forward, deflecting turret fire with her plasma staff.

"This is too easy." She remarked smugly.

"D-Don't count us out y-yet." Phoebe called as she and Marvin started catching up to her. Because most of the turrets were aimed at the nerd girl, they weren't being blasted as much and were soon able to run alongside her.

"But then you forgot this." Nelly smirked as she used her plasma staff to stab at her side, hitting Marvin's gut area.

"Gah!" Marvin's avatar flickered out and leaving Phoebe alone.

"Eeek! N-No." The doll faced girl looked fearful now as Nelly was now poised to deliver another strike, this time aimed at her.

"Like I said earlier, you're not obstacles to me." Nelly grinned arrogantly as she she delivered a downward strike at Phoebe, but the latter was able to dodge in time by hurling herself forward. "What?" She said in surprise.

In this defenseless state, the turrets were able to blast the nerd enough times to send her avatar out of the challenge. Cyrus passed the place where she had disappeared.

"Well, so much for her." The emo boy shook his head. he gazed ahead of him and saw that he was now close to the emblem. He also saw that Phoebe got up and started running again.

"I t-think I can make it!" The doll faced girl exclaimed as she picked up the pace.

"I don't think so." Cyrus said as he also picked up the pace and was now gaining on her.

Only one turret stood in their way as they were now so close to the emblem. Cyrus was now beside Phoebe, but the latter ran even faster to put her back in the lead.

"Damn, how did you get so fast?" Cyrus grunted as he tried to run even faster.

Both of them reached out for the emblem but the turret fired at that same time. One of them got hit in the back and was sent falling forward, making the other grab the emblem successfully. That person was...

"Phoebe! Congratulations!" Chris' hologram exclaimed as it suddenly appeared in front of the doll faced girl.

"Ah!" Phoebe screamed and recoiled in shock before realizing who it was. "O-Oh, um, yay!" She cheered with a cute smile.

"Okay then?" Chris said, a bit weirded out. "The Silver Terminators get the first point." Chris announced. "Phoebe and Cyrus, you may head back now to your outpost."

* * *

 **(Tatiana and Jude vs Jane and Cassie)**

The next chosen pairs exited their portals at the exact same track. Chris had chosen Tatiana and Jude for the Cyan Protoss, and Jane and Cassie for the Silver Terminators. The gamer girl mounted on her mecha chocobo while Jude stood beside her, carrying his makeshift bow while his quiver of arrows were hanging by his left hip. Cassie wore her bodysuit while Jane tied the two ends of her rope on both of them around their waists.

"What are you guys doing?" Jude asked them.

"Making sure we stay in sync." Jane said.

"We don't wanna lose each other in this race." Cassie explained.

"But it's one straight path." Tatiana tilted her head.

Jane smirked as she finished and stood beside her partner. "You'll see what we mean."

Jude and Tatiana glanced at each other and shrugged. Chris' hologram appeared in front of them.

"Are you guys ready?" Chris smirked. He snapped his fingers and oil started seeping out from the cracks of some of the tiles, creating slippery surfaces. "On your mark...get set...go!" His hologram flickered out as the contestants began their sprint.

Tatiana rode ahead, easily surpassing everyone else. Cassie and Jane followed behind with the former taking the lead. Jude brought up the rear and notched an arrow into his bow.

"Do you actually think that will work on us?" Jane smirked as she looked over her shoulder and saw Jude take aim. However, she didn't see the oil tile and slipped and fell on her back. Cassie felt her end of the rope tug at her. She looked back and saw Jane on the ground.

"I got ya." The ranch girl gripped her rope and pulled hard as Jane gripped her end of the rope too, sending her back on her feet instantly. Cassie continued to tug at the rope until Jane managed to catch up. Because of this move, Jude wasn't able to overtake them.

"So that's what it's for." Jude noted. He saw Tatiana already so close to the emblem. "But at least I held them off long enough."

"We ain't gonna make it." Cassie tipped her hat forward as she saw the gamer girl as well.

"Just keep running, she's bound to slip up." Jane told her.

Sure enough, Tatiana didn't see an oil tile ahead of her due to her staring at the emblem as she rode. The animal slipped hard and sent the rider flying off.

"Aah!" Tatiana fell hard on her back as she tumbled across the floor.

"Get up! You're almost there." Jude called out as the other three were closing in.

"Come on, Jane. We got this!" Cassie encouraged her teammate as both of them picked up the pace.

"It's not over yet." Tatiana exclaimed. She then pointed at both Jane and Cassie. "Attack!" She ordered her chocobo. The mechanical creature's eyes lit up in an almost blazing fury as it got up and spun around, now charging towards the two Silver Terminators.

 **~Confessional~**

 **Jude:** Wow, my bow and arrow isn't even needed here. That thing will trample over those two in an instant.

 **Cassie:** Well I'll be. It's a raging animal. If this was a bull or a horse, I would know what to do. But how does someone put down...that?

 **~End Confessional~**

The mecha chocobo closed in on both Cassie and Jane, squawking in a battle cry as it went.

"Here it comes." Cassie said as she kept on running.

"I have a plan. Spread out but keep running." Jane ordered. Cassie nodded and went further to the side as they ran.

"What are they doing now?" Jude said in confusion as he neared the two as well. "Tatiana, get up!"

The gamer girl groaned as she slowly got up. "Okay okay." She turned back towards the prize and staggered towards it.

The mecha chocobo let out a screech as it glanced from Jane and then to Cassie. It turned to its side and ended up chasing down Cassie.

"What the-" The ranch girl said in shock as she dodged to the side by tumbling.

"Keep going! We can trip it with our rope." Jane called out as she kept going and was catching up to Tatiana.

The rope went in contact with the mechanical creature's legs though was unable to trip it.

"What?" Jane whipped her head back to see the chocobo still standing, squawking at Cassie as she jumped back up and started running again, her body suit glowing as she tried to force the rope to trip the creature.

"Tug harder!" Cassie told her teammate. While they were greatly slowed by their efforts against the chocobo, Jude managed to near them and soon pass them.

The mecha chocobo saw the rope by its legs and used its beak to bite into the rope, snapping it in half. The sudden action sent the two Silver Terminators falling forward with great force, with Jane crashing into Tatiana in the process.

"Argh!" Cassie rolled forward but managed to get up easily. She saw Jude reaching his hand out to grab the emblem and so she tried using her body suit's speed to catch up to him. Unfortunately, her effort wasn't enough and the marksman managed to swipe the emblem from the podium.

"And Jude takes the point for their team." Chris announced. Jane and Cassie groaned while Jude and Tatiana cheered. The mecha chocobo cheered as well by flapping its mechanical wings and squawking. "Now the points are tied. Will the Silver Terminators make a comeback or will the Cyan Protoss seal their victory?"

* * *

 **(Nataline and Terrance vs Arnold and Sarah)**

The next chosen pairs had mixed feelings about each other. Arnold and Sarah were happy that they were together for this challenge.

"This is gonna rock!" Sarah cheered.

"Yeah! Our synergy is amazing." Arnold agreed as the two shared a quick kiss.

However, Terrance and Nataline aren't all that excited to be paired up with each other. The techie boy sighed and adjusted his glasses.

"We should put our differences aside, if only for this challenge." Nataline told him as sweet as she can, though the smile she gave was forced. "We have to break the tie and win, after all."

"Yeah yeah, whatever." Terrance sighed again. "Just don't get in my way."

"That's not how teamwork works." Nataline folded her arms. "We need to come up with a plan to defeat them. They are physically stronger than us after all."

Before Terrance could respond, Chris' hologram appeared in front of the four of them. "Welcome to the Virtual Void. Being emotional is highly welcomed in an empty and boring place like this." He chuckled.

"Would you please just show us the obstacles we'll be facing?" Nataline urged, somewhat irritably.

"Fine." Chris grumbled. "Here it is." Chris snapped his fingers and a few tiles sunk down then rose back up to reveal bulky robots atop it. Their left arms are machine guns while their right arms are short flamethrowers. They wore heavy and intimidating helmets but are slow in movement.

"Cool." Arnold said, impressed. "Let's do this." He said cockily.

"On your mark...get set..." Chris started. The four of them crouched slightly and leaned forward. "Go!" The hologram disappeared and they took off running.

 **~Confessional~**

 **Nataline:** Even though Terrance and I aren't on good terms, we still need to work together if we want to win. I hope he sees this too and cooperate for once. *she twirls a strand of her hair*

 **Sarah:** Arnold is the best challenge partner I could ask for! It also looks like the Cyan Protoss don't like each other much. We got this. *she smirks*

 **~End Confessional~**

Arnold and Sarah ran faster than Nataline and Terrance due to them being more physically fit.

"Try to keep up!" Arnold taunted Terrance as the techie boy had a hard time catching up to him.

"And try to make it past this foul." Terrance gritted his teeth as he dropped down and slid on the ground, planning to tackle Arnold's legs and make him trip. However, the soccer player saw it in time and jumped to dodge, not skipping a beat as he resumed running.

"Really? An inexperienced person like you just tried to slide tackle me?" Arnold smirked as he went on. Terrance stood back up and shook his head in irritation as he continued running as well.

Meanwhile, Nataline was able to catch up to Sarah with much effort. The rocker girl saw this and grinned.

"I didn't know rich people can be athletic." Sarah remarked.

"I may not be that physically fit, but I like to keep persevering." Nataline said as she slowly passed Sarah.

"Well I wanna win too." Sarah elbowed Nataline to the side, but the other girl elbowed her back in retaliation.

"Look out!" Terrance called from the side as he pointed ahead of them. Nataline saw that a robot was aiming its flamethrower at the two of them. Thinking fast, she dodged to the side which made Sarah's next shove miss. Because of this, she staggered a bit and wasn't able to dodge the flamethrower sweep from the robot.

"Uh oh." Was all she said as the flames soon engulfed her and sent her avatar flickering out in a puff of flames.

"No!" Arnold exclaimed in shock as he saw his girlfriend get eliminated from the challenge.

"Yes." Terrance grinned as he ran faster now, catching up with Nataline.

"Thanks for the heads up." Nataline told him with a slight smile.

"Whatever." Terrance rolled his eyes.

Two more robots blocked their path and fired their machine guns at the three of them.

"I can't lose here." Arnold avoided more of the shots but two of them caught him in his arm, making him stumble and lose his balance. "Whoaaa!" He said as he tried to regain his balance.

Terrance used this chance to focus his strength into tackling him towards one of the robots. The soccer player saw him at the last minute and tumbled to the side, sending Terrance himself crashing into the robot. It budged a little but otherwise shot him repeatedly and sending the techie boy's avatar flickering out of the area.

"He just had to act rashly." Nataline sighed as she kept running.

Arnold got back on his feet and chased down Nataline.

"You're not gonna keep up with me." Arnold said rather cockily as he neared her, but slowed down as another robot started firing on him. "Why is it always me!?"

"Just keep your gaze straight, Nataline." The noble girl encouraged herself softly as she was close now to the podium and the emblem. The soccer player gained on her though once he got out of the last robot's line of fire.

"It's not over yet!" Arnold screamed with conviction as he sprinted with remarkable speed. He caught up with Nataline just as the girl held out her hand to grab the emblem.

They both leaped forward at the same time and one of them managed to grab the emblem first and that was...

"Nataline! You won another point for your team!" Chris's hologram announced as he appeared again to congratulate the noble girl.

"I did it." Nataline breathed a sigh of relief. "I won."

"No...No!" Arnold cried out as he got down on his knees in exhaustion and banged his fists on the ground.

"Now get back to your outposts so the last pairs can get their turn." Chris then turned to Arnold. "You better hope your final pair will tie the score, or else it's elimination time for you again."

* * *

 **(Lucy and Ivy vs Desmond and Shane)**

The final pairs of both teams arrived in the Virtual Void for the challenge. Over on the Cyan Protoss side, it's Lucy and Ivy while the representatives of the Silver Terminators are Desmond and Shane. The pair from the Cyan Protoss looked a bit nervous.

"This isn't fair." Lucy pouted. "They're stronger than we are."

"Most members of the other team are stronger than we are." Ivy reminded her.

"These girls? Really?" Shane scoffed as he looked at them. "This is an easy win."

"If it was such an easy win, why did Arnold and Sarah lose in their round?" Desmond shook his head. "Don't get cocky. We don't know what to expect from them."

"Just watch me and stay close." Shane grunted as he took his position. "I'll knock these two off the field."

"Please don't be so rough." Lucy became teary eyed. "We didn't expect this either."

"Well sucks to be you." Shane glared at the soft spoken girl.

"May the best team win." Ivy said to Desmond.

"Of course." Desmond nodded.

"Are you guys ready now?" Chris' hologram appeared in front of them. "For this track, spikes will randomly protrude from the ground and hit you so watch your step and hope you're lucky. Now on your mark...get set...go!" His hologram disappeared which marked the start of the challenge.

Desmond immediately took off running but Shane went slightly slower, grinning evilly as he did. The loner boy waited for Lucy and Ivy to pass him before he picked up his own pace. He quickly went in between the two girls and tripped them both with one sweep, which made them fall forward.

"Heh, that's that." Shane said smugly as he passed them.

Desmond looked over his shoulder and saw what his teammate did. "You know that wasn't exactly necessary right?"

"I know, but it was fun either way." Shane smirked as he passed his own teammate too. Unfortunately for him, his next step triggered the trap and small spikes emerged from the ground ahead of him. He got hit by a lot as he tried to slow down. "Argh. W-What?" He groaned in pain as he kneeled down and stopped. His teammate stopped as well.

"Need some help?" Desmond asked. He was too distracted to see Lucy and Ivy pass him.

"No! Just hurry up and win it!" Shane yelled at him as he pointed ahead. Desmond turned and saw the Cyan Protoss pair run ahead of him.

"Right." Was all he said before he resumed running.

 **~Confessional~**

 **Shane:** It's time I start playing even more aggressively to secure a win. Desmond should know that we have to win so we can be utterly safe from elimination. If it means playing dirty like this, I don't mind. I don't care.

 **Lucy:** *her right eye is red* So Shane thinks he can get away with that little stunt, now does he? Maybe I won't be able to get back at him in this challenge, but I'll remember him when we hit merge. Hehehe, that's assuming he makes it there.

 **~End Confessional~**

"We're almost there." Lucy noted as they both neared the emblem. However, spikes suddenly rose up ahead of them, this time longer and it came at random intervals. "Ivy, be careful!"

The other girl was spacing out though, and didn't take notice of a spike protrude right in front of her. She crashed into it and fell backwards, but another one protruded behind her and impaled her, making her avatar flicker out immediately.

"Oh no." Lucy said, teary eyed as she watched her teammate vanish.

"You're screwed now." Shane growled as he gained on her, followed by Desmond. He wasn't able to run that far though as the injury still persisted and he gradually became slower. "Ugh..."

"I got this." Desmond sprinted ahead and was now next to Lucy. The both of them reached the podium and they both reached out to grab the item...

But a spike protruded from the ground and caught Desmond by the arm, making him yell in pain and lose his balance as Lucy successfully grabbed the emblem.

"Congratulations, Lucy!" Chris' hologram appeared in front of her. "You have won another emblem for your team and sealed the Cyan Protoss' victory!" He congratulated the soft spoken girl. "Silver Terminators, I'll see you once again in the elimination ceremony." He turned towards Shane and Desmond, who growled and groaned respectively.

* * *

 **(Cyan Protoss)**

Nataline, Tatiana, Lucy, and Jude were hanging around behind the outpost, gazing at the stars.

"Is that the Orion?" Tatiana exclaimed as she pointed at the night sky.

"I wouldn't know. I'm not good with constellations." Jude admitted sheepishly.

"Neither am I." Lucy said.

"I am, and yes that is the Orion." Nataline told the gamer girl. "Ah and by the way, congratulations." She smiled as she turned towards Jude and Lucy.

"Thanks." Jude beamed.

"Wait, what happened?" Tatiana asked in confusion as she glanced at Nataline and then at Jude.

"Jude and I are together." Lucy said happily. "It happened just this morning." She said.

"Oh my God!" Tatiana squealed as she hugged the soft spoken girl. "That's so cute! I'm so happy for you guys." She beamed.

"Well we haven't told everyone yet since the challenge started early." Jude said. "Not that telling Cyrus would be good anyway." He deadpanned.

"Well we won the challenge, so both of you can enjoy your time together now." Nataline gave a light smirk to both of them and they both blushed.

"Y-Yeah." Lucy said in embarrassment.

"I gotta go now. I'm supposed to check the maintenance of my pet." Tatiana told them as she skipped away.

"She's pretty lively." Nataline giggled.

"And formidable. You should have seen her and her mount in the challenge." Jude pointed out. "If not for the oil, she would have easily won that challenge and the rest of us wouldn't even be halfway through."

"She's pretty good then." Lucy said, impressed.

"Yeah, she is." Nataline said softly as she glanced at the direction Tatiana went.

 **~Confessional~**

 **Nataline:** Tatiana is pretty good in challenges now. Almost too good in fact. I feel like I want to eliminate her, but she considers me her friend and really puts in the effort to talk to me. I can't do that to her. But what about the merge?

 **Lucy:** Jude is such a sweet and nice person. I hope we'll really be able to keep in touch after the game.

 **Jude:** That mechanical creature is really something. It's better than my makeshift bow and arrow for sure. Wait, wasn't that thing made with the help of Terrance and Nelly? Maybe I can get them to make me a weapon too,assuming they'd want to talk to me.

 **~End Confessional~**

Terrance and Nelly were hanging out by the living room, hearing sounds of tools and the mecha chocobo by the side of the outpost.

"Tatiana really loves that animal, huh." Nelly remarked.

"Yeah, which is ironic since she's the Chocobo 'Slayer'." Terrance emphasized the last word with a side grin. "But I am pretty proud of it too. I mean, it helped us won two challenges today."

"Technically Jude won the challenge since Tatiana tripped and fell but yeah I see your point." Nelly nodded. "It just goes to show that great minds are better than brute strength." She said arrogantly.

"Amen to that." Terrance smirked. "This is the kind of advantage we have over the Silver Terminators."

"By the way, how did you get into inventing stuff?" Nelly asked him. "No offense but you look like someone who doesn't belong in any social group."

"That's because in my school, I'm one of the 'outcasts'." Terrance rolled his eyes as he remembered. "The popular kids in my school have total control and the make school like a living hell, more than it already is."

"Ouch." Nelly said. "But I can relate. Us nerds usually get pushed around by the jocks and by the pushy ones who just wants their math homework done." She said disdainfully. "But I learned to stand up for myself and my friends. I joined up here to prove that you don't need physical strength to win."

"That's nice. My cause isn't as noble as yours though, since all I wanted was a better computer and college money." Terrance said with a shrug. "But while I'm here, I guess I can go prove that being popular isn't everything and that 'outcasts' like me have purpose too."

"And Wesley went home last time, just like you wanted." Nelly nodded. "Oh and I voted for him too."

"Thanks for seeing it my way then." Terrance smirked as he adjusted his glasses.

"So you wanna make an official alliance?" Nelly offered. "I basically left Jude and Lucy's alliance and I'm pretty sure we can still convince Tatiana to join us."

"I don't know, I mean you're all girls." Terrance said, unsure and hesitant.

"Don't worry, you'll be fine." Nelly assured him. "No ulterior motives. Come on, it's just us."

"Well..." Terrance thought of it for a moment, before finally extending his hand. "Deal." They both shook hands.

Upstairs, Cyrus and Ivy were listening in on their conversation.

"Dammit, now they're officially aligned too." Cyrus whispered in frustration.

"What are you going to do about it?" Ivy asked him.

"Something." Cyrus said unconvincingly. "Just...watch me." He said nervously.

 **~Confessional~**

 **Terrance:** I'm in an exclusive alliance with Lucy, and now I'm in an alliance with Nelly. I actually don't know if this is a good thing or a bad thing.

 **Cyrus:** I can't be left out! This is...this is madness! My Statue can save me once, but not twice. I need to pin the target on someone else and confuse these alliances. But who?

 **Ivy:** It seems like Cyrus is starting to lose this confident aura he put around him. Is this the part where the villain realizes his imminent doom?

 **~End Confessional~**

* * *

 **(Silver Terminators)**

Arnold and Sarah met up with Desmond at the back of the outpost.

"Okay let's talk about who to vote for tonight." Sarah declared.

"Where's Shane?" Arnold asked Desmond. "He's gonna miss out."

"He said he needed to walk for a bit and told me not to follow him." Desmond explained. "But he did tell me to update him on who to vote."

"Okay that's good enough." Sarah shrugged. "I'm leaning towards Marvin now."

"Why him?" Desmond asked.

"He's not that strong of a player." Sarah said simply. "Losing him wouldn't mean much. That sounded kinda rude." She said in surprise.

"But it's true." Arnold said. "He is pretty weak. We need Jane and Cassie for challenges after all."

"So Marvin it is?" Desmond asked for clarification.

"Yep." Sarah chirped with a grin.

 **~Confessional~**

 **Sarah:** Like I said, I'm not gonna eliminate Phoebe. She's my friend and too innocent to leave this game. And Marvin looked like he missed Valerie, so why not?

 **Desmond:** I'm gonna have to tell Shane about this. Hopefully he'll agree since splitting the votes against Phoebe would be a bad idea.

 **~End Confessional~**

Cassie, Jane, Phoebe, and Marvin met up inside the girls' bedroom.

"I feel like I'm intruding." Marvin remarked.

"Nah, don't worry about it." Cassie assured him. "We won't do anything to ya."

"Usually it's the opposite." Jane wondered aloud. "But anyway, time to talk strategy."

"W-Who should we vote for?" Phoebe asked. "S-Should we try t-to eliminate Shane again?"

"There are eight of us, and if what I guess is true, then the other four people are aligned. We'll be forcing another tie." Marvin pondered aloud. Both Cassie and Jane had grim faces.

"I hear ya." Cassie tipped her hat backward.

"I have a plan." Jane announced. "But you're not gonna like it."

"What is it?" Cassie asked.

"I'll find out who they are voting for and I'll vote with them." Jane said. "The rest of you vote for Shane."

"How will that work?" Marvin looked at her warily. Jane responded by taking out her Invincibility Statue.

"This is how it'll work." Jane declared. "I'll use this to save you."

"What? Y-You have o-one?" Phoebe said in surprise.

"Yeah. I got it in the robot building challenge." Jane told the doll faced girl.

"Well I'll be. Guess we got a plan now, y'all." Cassie said with a grin.

"Sure looks lie it." Marvin nodded.

 **~Confessional~**

 **Jane:** I know I'm taking a risk by using this on Marvin and not to save myself in future eliminations, but I figured that a strong alliance is better than individual protection.

 **Marvin:** Jane's plan is a bold one, but I have no choice but to trust her. I highly doubt we'll be able to win against Shane in another duel if it does become a tie.

 **Phoebe:** Jane d-didn't tell me she had a Statue. O-Or maybe it's something t-that's usually kept secret. W-What if Shane has one too!? Eek! N-No! G-Get a hold of yourself, P-Phoebe. That's not likely to h-happen. Or is i-it? *she cowers*

 **~End Confessional~**

* * *

 **(Elimination Ceremony)**

The contestants took their seats at the elimination site. The Cyan Protoss sat on the sidelines while the Silver Terminators took their place in the center. Chris stood before them with seven space food containers.

"Looks like you guys might be doomed to a losing streak." Chris smirked as he glanced at the members of the Silver Terminators.

"Shut up and get on with it." Shane growled angrily.

"Alright alright, sheesh." Chris said irritably. "I have here seven space food containers and if you don't get one it means you're out." He explained. "Phoebe."

"Jane."

"Cassie."

"Sarah."

"Arnold."

"Desmond."

Shane and Marvin were left in the bottom two. Shane grunted as he shook his head and Marvin looked somewhat nervous.

"One of you will be going home tonight." Chris told the two boys.

"And it's not gonna be me." Shane growled.

"Actually, yes. It's not you." Chris chuckled as he was about to toss Shane his space food container when Jane spoke up.

"Wait! Shane is the one going home." Jane declared confidently.

"What are you talking about? Marvin received the most votes." Desmond told her.

Jane fished out her Invincibility Statue. "I use my Statue on Marvin. That will save him from going home, right?"

"Yes. Yes it will." Chris grinned as he took the Invincibility Statue from Jane. "Now that Marvin has been saved from elimination..." He tossed Marvin the space food container instead. "Shane, you have been eliminated."

"What!?" Shane bellowed in anger. "NO!"

"Sorry, man. But that's it for you." Chris shrugged. "You have left this game in 16th place. Any last words?"

"Screw you!" Shane growled to Jane. "Why the hell did you do that!?"

"Because I hate you?" Jane raised her eyebrow.

"That's not cool." Arnold shook his head.

"It's fair." Cassie pointed out. "And it's not like he didn't deserve that, y'know."

"Fine then! Good luck winning challenges without me!" Shane growled. "Maybe Chris is right, maybe a losing streak is ahead of you." At that same moment, the beam of light shone down on him, encasing him in a bright light as his avatar left the virtual world.

"The rest of you may go now." Chris said dismissively to them. They all filed out of the elimination site, some looking grim than others.

 **~Votes~**

 **Jane:** I overheard Desmond and Shane talking and it looks like they're gonna vote for Marvin, so Marvin it is. *she grins*

 **Phoebe:** S-Shane is so mean and scary. I h-hope Jane's plan w-works.

 **Marvin:** Time to go vote for Shane. Again.

 **Sarah:** I'm voting for Marvin not only to weaken the secret Green Drell alliance, but also to lose a non physical asset.

 **Desmond:** I hope Sarah knows that sooner or later, we'll have to eliminate Phoebe too. But for now, I vote for Marvin.

 **Cassie:** I vote for Shane as always. It's seriously high time for him to go.

 **Shane:** Desmond told me that we're voting for Marvin. Not my first choice, but not my last either.

 **Arnold:** Sorry Marvin, it's nothing personal but I vote for you.

 **~Eliminated~**

 **(24th place) Richard - The Maestro**

 **(23rd place) Delilah - The Serpent**

 **(22nd place) Felix - The Prankster**

 **(21st place) Harvey - The Chill Guy**

 **(20th place) Betty - The Phone Addict**

 **(19th place) Nicholas - The Detective**

 **(18th place) Wesley - The Blue Blood**

 **(17th place) Valerie - The Energetic Flirt**

 **(16th place) Shane - The Lone Wolf**

* * *

Chris stood inside the Drama Dome with a smirk. "The Silver Terminators lost again, and Marvin was so close to getting cut off from the game. But the power of the Invincibility Statue is absolute, and Shane took his place in an instant. Will the Cyan Protoss do a hat trick in the next challenge? How powerful is Tatiana with her mecha chocobo? How will Terrance handle two alliances at once? Will Jane be safe now that she used her Invincibility Statue on Marvin? And what will Desmond do now that his only other real ally is gone? Find out next time on Total...Drama...Sci-Fi Showdown!" The camera turned off.

* * *

 **Shane was such an interesting character to write. He's good in challenges but lacked so much social skill and strategic gameplay. You might think he's perfect for the merge if only he didn't get outdone by a Statue, and I have to agree. However, I really didn't want to force another tie and make him win just to milk out his stay in the game when his story is just about done. The negative forces in this cast is so few that Shane's presence is kinda necessary. But he has no more room for plot so it's about time he goes.**

 **Oh and by the way, my friend Lessoneritalia made a story called 'Never enter the mansion' which is posted in the games category and under the Ao Oni fandom. It has my cast in it and revolves around a whole new story. Go check it out and support her too. :)**

 **Don't forget to leave reviews and tell me what you think of the cast now. We're a few eliminations awat from the merge and I'm exciting to see what will happen then. Ciao! XBloodLegendX**


	12. Chapter 12: Sci-Fi Phobia

**"I learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear." - Nelson Mandela**

* * *

Chris stands inside the Drama Dome with his usual flashing smile. The hologram is beside him, showing the scenes for the past challenge. "Last time on Total Drama Sci-Fi Showdown..." He started. "The two teams were divided into pairs for their challenge that involves running a single track to snatch an emblem from its podium."

The hologram showed the outline of the track and all the traps in it. "Each round introduced different kinds of traps to stall their progress. Not only that, but they have the other team to worry about as well, especially since they can use whatever they have on them."

The next scene were the moments when Phoebe, Jude, Nataline, and Lucy grabbed the emblems to claim their points for their respective teams. "The race was fierce and the obstacles were strong, but the Cyan Protoss emerged victorious once again. This marks the second defeat of the Silver Terminators and it meant they had to eliminate another one of their own."

The last scene the hologram showed a portrait of Marvin and Shane, as well as an Invincibility Statue. "Sarah's alliance proposed to take out Marvin to further weaken the supposed secret alliance of the Green Drell, while Cassie and her friends gathered together and plotted to take out Shane for his distant yet cruel nature and negative effect on the team. This would force a tie, however, so Jane planned to use her Invincibility Statue to save Marvin as she voted against the latter to ensure there would be no tie. Shane went home that night, knocking the Silver Terminators down a peg and forcing them down to seven members remaining."

Chris spread out his arms dramatically as he smirked. "Is this the end of Sarah's alliance? Is Cyan Protoss on a roll? Will the Silver Terminators be a better team now that Shane has been eliminated? Who will Tatiana spend her time with next? Find out now in Total...Drama...Sci-Fi Showdown!"

* * *

 **(Cyan Protoss)**

Nataline finished changing clothes in the bedroom and was starting to go downstairs. She saw that Cyrus was bickering with Ivy, Terrance, and Nelly at the living room and decided to go over there. However, she didn't notice a banana peel in the middle of the staircase and slipped on it.

"Ah!" She shrieked as she lost her balance and soon came slipping down the rest of the stairs, injuring her hip and back in the process. "Owww..." She groaned in pain as she struggled to get up.

"And this is why you don't just throw your trash anywhere." Ivy shook her head with a frown as she helped Nataline to her feet. Terrance and Nelly just snickered and held in their laughter. "It's not funny either."

Cyrus raised his hands in innocence. "She should have watched where she was going. I heard nobles walk with books on top of their heads. I'm pretty sure falling down the steps isn't new."

"It's a hilarious sight." Terrance agreed as he couldn't contain his laughter anymore.

"I know right." Nelly high fived Terrance. The techie boy saw Ivy help Nataline up and walk off with her. He suddenly saw the sad and pained expression on Nataline's face and could have sworn he saw her shed a tear, and he stopped laughing.

"I'm going upstairs for a while." He announced as he stood up and left the two other people in the living room.

"What's his problem? I thought he'd appreciate it more." Cyrus scoffed. "Whatever, I regret nothing."

"Well even though this joke is funny, nobody likes you." Nelly shrugged.

"Yeah but even if it's like that, I'm still here." Cyrus responded smugly. "Don't think I'll leave so easily."

"This might be the easiest elimination yet." Nelly said arrogantly. "Your face disgusts me anyway." She stood up and left him alone as well. Cyrus clenched his fist and breathed. He stared at the locked door, which only had one pixel cube left.

 **~Confessional~**

 **Terrance:** Okay maybe I shouldn't have laughed at Nataline. The bullies and popular kids at my school do this a lot and sometimes I get victimized by this too. Heck, one time my glasses broke when they pushed me off the stairs. I may not like Nataline, but Cyrus totally sucks for doing that. *he adjusts his glasses*

 **Cyrus:** Seeing Nataline trip and fall like that is hilarious! Why can't both of them appreciate it more? Is it really because they hate me more? Come on, I'm trying to get allies here. *he sighs*

 **Nelly:** Cyrus is getting more annoying with each passing day. I almost feel like throwing the next challenge to eliminate him. Almost.

 **~End Confessional~**

Ivy and Nataline went outside of the outpost. The former had a blank look on her face as if she was in a daze as she led the latter further from the outpost and near a few large rocks. They both sat down and Nataline stretched her legs.

"Ow, it still hurts." Nataline groaned in pain. "Who left a banana peel there anyway?"

Ivy gave no answer as she stared off into space blankly.

"Are you listening?" Nataline frowned. "I'm talking to you." She said, sternly now.

"Oh, sorry." Ivy snapped back into reality and apologized. "What was it?"

"I'm asking who put that banana peel there." Nataline frowned as he adjusted her seating position but groaned in pain as she did.

"It was Cyrus. He threw it there out of nowhere." Ivy explained with a sigh. "He said that no one would mind and told me not to pick it up."

"And Terrance and Nelly were a part of this?" Nataline asked in an angry tone as she rubbed her sore side.

"They were suspicious at first, but their laugh means the joke paid off." Ivy said as she looked away. "I really wanted to put it away, but Cyrus insisted."

"Well it's not your fault." Nataline mumbled as she sighed as well. "I'll be fine. I just need some time to myself for a while." She gazed towards the nearby flower field.

"Well alright then." Ivy nodded as she stood up. But before she left, Nataline called out to her.

"Ivy, thanks for helping me earlier." Nataline smiled genuinely. "We don't talk much, and I'm pretty sure this is the first time we talked for long but I appreciate what you did."

"It's no problem." Ivy smiled back. "We're teammates after all."

 **~Confessional~**

 **Ivy:** Nataline isn't a bad person at all so I don't get what kind of point Terrance and Cyrus are making back there. Maybe I should befriend her and make her my ally. That wouldn't be so bad.

 **Nataline:** Okay so maybe I was a bit blinded by the alliance I have with Lucy and Jude as well as my dispute between Terrance and Cyrus, and Nelly too by extension, but I should think of the long game now and I need more connections to help me succeed in the merge. Ivy looks like a good investment now.

 **~End Confessional~**

Tatiana was happily riding her mecha chocobo down the forest area when she saw Lucy walking around, looking at some of the small animals that wander about.

"Hey Lucy!" Tatiana said as she rode over to the soft spoken girl. "Why are you here and not beside Jude?" She teased.

Lucy blushed a bit. "We're not really joined at the hip or anything." She said.

"That's cool too." Tatiana nodded as she dismounted from her chocobo.

"How about you? Do you like someone here?" Lucy asked the gamer girl. Now it was Tatiana's turn to blush slightly and look away.

"W-Well..." Tatiana stammered. "There is one guy that I like."

"Mind telling?" Lucy asked innocently. Her right eye flashed red but Tatiana didn't see this. "I promise I won't tell anyone."

"Okay." Tatiana looked around to see if anyone else was nearby. When she saw that no one else was there except the two of them, she turned towards Lucy. "It's Terrance."

"Oooh~" Lucy giggled. "Are you gonna tell him?"

"No, not yet." Tatiana said. "I'll win this game first and then tell him. He's bound to fall for a hero who won Total Drama, right?" She placed her hands on her hips proudly as the wind blew and her hair swayed along dramatically.

Lucy giggled even more. "Maybe. I think it'll win you some points."

"Come on, it's a sure fire way to do it!" Tatiana exclaimed. "And I'll take down any competition I might have!"

"Really?" Lucy tilted her head.

"Yeah! A gamer never quits." Tatiana beamed as she mounted on her mechanical animal again. "Want a ride back?"

"Yes." Lucy nodded as she got on the mecha chocobo as well.

"Wait I forgot to ask about what you were here for." Tatiana looked over her shoulder to Lucy as she guided the chocobo ahead.

"Jude said he likes forest animals so I'm trying to find the appeal to it." Lucy explained. "To see what he sees."

"That's so cute~" Tatiana gushed and Lucy blushed.

 **~Confessional~**

 **Lucy:** *her right eye flashes red* So Tatiana likes Terrance, huh? I could use that to my advantage somehow.

 **Tatiana:** I'm not afraid to fight for what I want, and I'm pretty sure I have no competition for Terrance's heart since the only other girl he spends time with is Nelly and she has a girlfriend. But first thing's first, I gotta win the game!

 **~End Confessional~**

Jude found Nataline by a meadow of flowers, picking them from the ground and plucking out the petals one by one.

"Hey if you're gonna do that, at least save the sunflowers." Jude remarked as he approached her. "I like those flowers."

Nataline grinned as she dropped the small stems. "Alright, I'll avoid those flowers. I was just letting out steam."

"Really? What's wrong?" Jude asked her. "I haven't seen the others yet since I was at the back practicing my archery."

"I fell in the staircase in the outpost." Nataline sighed. "Cyrus pulled a stunt on me by putting a banana peel there." She grimaced in slight pain as she adjusted her position.

"What!?" Jude exclaimed angrily. "He just never stops, does he." He turned towards the outpost and was about to stalk inside when Nataline stopped him.

"It's fine. If you deal with him now, he might not be good for the next challenge." Nataline said. "We can just eliminate him if we lose."

"But how can you play when you're sore like that?" Jude asked her in concern. "You'll get injured."

"I'll be alright." Nataline assured him. "I've been through worse." She gave a dry laugh.

"If you say so. Maybe you can sit this challenge out." Jude told her.

"But the other team is the one with lesser members." Nataline pointed out.

"Oh. Right." Jude realized. "I forgot we are this awesome." He smirked.

"Indeed." Nataline agreed with a smile. "But we shouldn't get complacent."

"Not get complacent? They eliminated Shane last night!" Jude exclaimed. "He's one of their capable assets."

"But I guess nobody likes him that much." Nataline shrugged. "Social skill is important too."

"Yeah, something Cyrus clearly doesn't have. Nelly was pretty harsh in my old team though. I'm surprised she managed to find friends in here." Jude looked back at the outpost as he saw Terrance and Nelly go outside and walk away from it, talking as they did.

"Those in her social class and league can relate to her, obviously." Nataline said dismissively. "I usually socialize with the upper class alone. They are more prim and proper than the common folk."

This hit Jude's nerve and his expression changed, but Nataline wasn't able to see it.

"Well I suppose that's that. So, Cyrus goes home next elimination?" Jude asked her, as calmly as possible.

"Yes, of course." Nataline nodded in agreement.

 **~Confessional~**

 **Jude:** It hurts that Nataline is being so stereotypical about the upper class and the lower class people. I know my family scrapes on by but we're very decent people. It makes me wonder if she looks down on me or something.

 **~End Confessional~**

* * *

 **(Silver Terminators)**

Desmond saw Jane stretching outside the outpost and decided to approach her. The latter saw him come closer and she smirked.

"So, that elimination went well last night." Jane noted and Desmond narrowed his eyes at her. "I told you we'd avenge Valerie."

"If you think keeping Marvin over Shane was a smart move, then I lose whatever respect I have for you." Desmond shook his head. "I don't know why you wasted your Invincibility Statue on him, but it was dumb nonetheless."

"Only you and your alliance would benefit from Marvin leaving." Jane gave an amused scoff. "I'm doing what's best for the team."

"Kicking out a strong physical asset is what's best for the team?" Desmond deadpanned as he raised an eyebrow.

"So tell me why you wanted to vote for Marvin. I hate to say this, but Phoebe is weaker than him." Jane pointed out.

"Speaking so lowly of your friend?" Desmond rolled his eyes.

"You didn't answer my question. Your move last night was shocking at most." Jane remarked. "That was your chance to use the majority against Phoebe, but you didn't take it. I guess this means you don't call the shots."

"And so what? We can always eliminate her next time." Desmond said.

"But you don't have a majority." Jane pointed out. "We do. So what we say, goes." She declared.

"For now yes." Desmond shrugged as he began to walk away. "But when we lose this challenge again, you'll wish you voted for Marvin last night."

"Or we could eliminate you to save the bitterness." Jane laughed. "Your survival rate isn't looking pretty high."

Desmond just grunted in annoyance as he left her alone.

 **~Confessional~**

 **Desmond:** That girl doesn't know anything about strategy. Sure I'm not the one calling the shots in my alliance, but it's better than defending those weak in challenges. She'll regret that decision I swear. But she's pretty dangerous too, since once merge hits she can easily get Tatiana and Terrance to her side again. I should try to put the target on her now that she has no more Invincibility Statue.

 **Jane:** Like I said, I'm a survivor. I play to survive and make it out alive. In this case, it's to watch my own skin and prevent myself from getting eliminated. In order to do that I need a stable alliance so even if Marvin and Phoebe are weak in challenges, they are still useful to me. But at the end of it all, I still have to face Cassie. I wonder how I'll handle that.

 **~End Confessional~**

Sarah was in the girls' bedroom with earphones on as she listened to some rock music on her phone. Cassie walked in and saw her.

"Howdy, Sarah." Cassie greeted. Sarah took no notice as she kept head banging to the beat of her music. "Sarah? Sarah!"

The rocker girl sat up in attention as she took out her earphones. "Yeah?" She said in a slight panic. "Sorry about that."

"It's alright. I just wanna talk, y'know." Cassie told her and the other girl began putting away her phone.

"Yeah okay. So what is it?" Sarah asked the ranch girl.

"What do ya guys have against Marvin anyway? Why did y'all vote for him?" Cassie frowned slightly as she pointed an accusatory finger at Sarah.

"Hey, we just wanna vote for someone that's not with our alliance." Sarah raised her arms up innocently. "And I didn't want them to vote for Phoebe so we settled for Marvin."

"Is that all?" Cassie furrowed her brow.

"Y-Yeah." Sarah lied. "That's totally just it. And hey, since Shane went home you guys have the majority now so I don't see why you gotta make this a big deal."

"I just don't like people who mess with my friends." Cassie explained as she tipped her hat forward. "But yeah, we hold the majority now." She turned away and walked out of the room.

Sarah grumbled to herself when the other girl was out of earshot. "'We hold the majority now'." She mocked immaturely as she put on her earphones again and resumed listening to music.

 **~Confessional~**

 **Cassie:** Even though we got the majority now and that my friend is still here, we still need to try and win the next challenge. With Shane gone, we might actually have some fine teamwork now.

 **Sarah:** I gotta try and do something about this. Maybe if I make Phoebe join our side? I mean, it's not like I can just roll over and let them take charge...right?

 **~End Confessional~**

Phoebe and Marvin were walking along the riverbank together. The former was busy looking at the fishes in the water.

"So Phoebe..." Marvin started. "I've wanted to tell you something for a while now."

"Y-Yes?" Phoebe stopped gazing at the river and turned to look at Marvin.

"Valerie was supposed to help me with this, but it looks like I'll have to admit it alone." Marvin sighed.

"What is i-it?" Phoebe tilted her head. "Is s-something wrong?"

"No. Nothing's wrong, Phoebe." Marvin assured her with a small smile. "In fact, it's nothing negative or anything. I just wanted to say..." He trailed off embarrassingly.

"E-Eh? Come on, tell me." Phoebe insisted. "I p-promise I won't l-laugh or get mad or a-anything."

"Alright." Marvin took a long breath and stopped walking to completely face her. Phoebe stopped as well to face him. "I like you." He finally said after a short moment. "I really like you, Phoebe." He repeated.

Phoebe's face turned into that of a surprised one as she blushed. "W-Wha- Really? Y-You like me?" She blinked.

"Yes." Marvin said, embarrassed. "I liked you ever since we were put on the same team. But I never really got to tell you. I wanted Valerie to help me out with this but she got eliminated."

"I s-see." Phoebe nodded slowly.

"But judging how you were acting in our old team, it looks like you got feelings for...Cyrus." Marvin said the last part with a sigh. "If you don't return how I feel, it's alright. I want us to be friends at least."

"Eek. N-No." Phoebe exclaimed as she held one of his hands. "I l-like you too. You were there for me to a-assure and comfort me. A-And I realize that C-Cyrus doesn't like m-me anyway so I d-don't think I like him anymore."

"Then you'll give me a chance?" Marvin asked hopefully.

"Y-Yes." Phoebe smiled up at him as she hugged him.

Marvin hugged her back as they just stood there. Jane and Cassie passed them by as they jogged and stopped to look at them.

"Good job, Marvin." Jane smirked softly as Cassie tipped her hat backwards.

"Looks like our alliance has a couple now." Cassie remarked as they continued jogging.

 **~Confessional~**

 **Marvin:** I finally got that off my chest. For some reason it feels like a large burden was lifted off my shoulders.

 **Phoebe:** I c-can't believe Marvin feels that way a-about me. I'm n-not ready for a serious r-relationship but I want to s-see where this goes. *she blushes*

 **~End Confessional~**

Arnold met up with Sarah and Desmond by the back of the outpost.

"So why did you call for us?" Arnold looked towards his girlfriend. "I was busy practicing my shooting skills."

"Yeah but this is important." Sarah insisted. "Because we're in the minority now!"

"Then we simply have to win the next challenge." Desmond stated bluntly. "Being the smaller team, we need to put in more effort now."

"And since Shane is gone, we definitely need to up our game in the second half." Arnold added.

"But I'm worried about what would happen if we DO lose." Sarah pointed out to them. "They're gonna eliminate us one by one."

"That's a good point." Arnold conceded.

"So what do you want us to do?" Desmond asked the rocker girl.

"We should try to get Phoebe to join us." Sarah declared.

"What!? Why Phoebe?" Desmond was in shock at her suggestion. "We want her gone, not as an ally."

"We can...eliminate her in the merge or something." Sarah scratched the back of her head. "It won't be too hard."

"You're so good at this, babe." Arnold high fived his girlfriend.

"This is a bad idea." Desmond shook his head.

 **~Confessional~**

 **Desmond:** Don't they actually watch Total Drama? The weak ones slip on by easily in the merge. I swear, those two will be eliminated way before Phoebe if this keeps up.

 **Arnold:** Sarah doing all the strategizing for us makes me want to work even harder. That's actually why I was practicing my shooting skills earlier, so I could use my soccer skills in future challenges.

 **~End Confessional~**

* * *

Chris' hologram appeared in the living room of both teams' outpost.

"Good afternoon, contestants." Chris greeted with a smirk. "Are you ready for the next challenge?"

"If we say no, can we take the day off?" Cyrus raised his eyebrow from his team's outpost.

"Are you saying I'm that nice to actually do that?" Chris laughed. "Well anyways, your challenge is pretty simple as it's a classic."

"You ran out of challenge ideas?" Marvin asked.

"No of course not." Chris rolled his eyes. "And you're gonna love this one."

"So just say it already." Jane said impatiently.

Chris smirked. "The phobia challenge."

"WHAT!?" Collective gasps and looks of shock are present in the contestants' faces.

"That's what I like to hear." Chris chuckled. "Since the Cyan Protoss have more members, they need to sit someone out."

"Me!" Cyrus raised his hand before anyone else could. "I'll sit out."

"Okay then, Cyrus gets to sit out of this challenge." Chris announced.

"Booo..." Nelly grumbled.

"Meet me in front of the Red Sith outpost." Chris told the contestants. "This one's gonna be good." He chuckled as his hologram flickered out.

"This sucks." Terrance adjusted his glasses.

"Tell me about it." Jude groaned.

"A p-p-phobia c-ch-challenge!?" Phoebe shrieked fearfully. Marvin hugged her to calm her down.

"I'm not worried." Cassie shrugged. "I don't have a phobia."

"What? Really?" Jane looked at her in surprise.

"Yeah. That's why I'm wondering what Chris has for me." Cassie shrugged.

* * *

Everyone gathered in front of the old Red Sith outpost where Chris was waiting for them. Behind him are numerous portals of varying colors.

"Welcome to your next challenge!" Chris exclaimed. "Who's excited?"

"I swear, if any of you raise your damn hand..." Nelly glared at both her team and the other team.

"Nobody likes what we're doing next so just take it easy." Arnold rolled his eyes.

"I bet you're just waiting to show off your barbaric jock skills in your phobia challenge." Nelly scoffed. "I bet your phobia is not getting enough cheerleaders to bang you."

"Hey I'm not that kind of person!" Arnold defended.

"Leave him alone." Sarah stepped forward as she glared at the nerd.

"Hey, don't blame me if you end up just another girl in his bed." Nelly shrugged. Terrance smirked and fist bumped with her.

"Nice one." The techie boy praised.

Sarah fumed with anger as she held Arnold's hand. The soccer boy just sighed and shook his head.

"Forget about them, Sarah. It's not worth it. We'll just win this challenge for our team and maybe she'll be eliminated." Arnold told her.

"Well if that's all the hostility..." Chris started.

"Wait, I got one." Cyrus interrupted. "Phoebe, you suck!" He said with a sneer.

"E-eek!" Phoebe hid behind Marvin as the latter raised his eyebrow at Cyrus.

"Really, man?" Marvin deadpanned. Cyrus just brushed it off.

"Okay so that's all the hostility for real?" Chris asked. No one reacted. "Now let's move on to the challenge. Each of you will enter one of these portals which leads to where your challenge will take place. Each area is designed to feed on your deepest fears, and if you brave the challenge you win a point for your team. The team with the most points win." Chris explained.

"The rules are easy..." Desmond said.

"But the challenge itself is not." Jane finished.

"Now, the person who'll go first is Nataline." Chris said as he took out a list.

"Why me?" Nataline said with a groan.

"Your challenge makes sense if you're first." Chris explained. "Because your challenge is to go inside that portal over there..." He pointed at one portal behind him that is color silver and black. "...and stay there for the duration of the challenge. It's cold and dark in there, with only the echo of your voice there to comfort you. You'll be alone and away from everyone else."

"No...No." Nataline started panting.

"That's right, folks. Nataline's greatest fear is being abandoned." Chris smirked. "So that's what her trial will be, to be abandoned for the rest of the challenge. If she leaves the portal before the time is up, then she doesn't gain a point for her team."

"Wait! Can't we do something else?" Nataline backed away.

"Nope. We're doing this." Chris shook his head as he snapped his fingers. Two robot guards spawned behind Nataline and grabbed each of her arms and lifted her up, dragging her to the assigned portal.

"Don't make me do this!" Nataline said fearfully. The pain in her body made it impossible for her to fight back, however, and the guards successfully threw her inside the portal and it closed as she entered.

"Well that's harsh." Tatiana frowned.

"Are you kidding?" Cyrus scoffed. "No Nataline for the entire challenge."

"Okay let's move on now." Chris said impatiently. "Next one is Desmond."

"Damn." Desmond cursed under his breath.

"Desmond's fear is pretty common actually." Chris said as he pointed at another portal. "Let's go check it out."

Everyone went inside the portal, though Desmond was more hesitant than the rest. Once inside, they all saw that they were in an abandoned mansion. The windows were cracked and the furniture were all torn and old. The wooden floorboards looked damaged and creaky, and they saw that the door is locked. Chris put a protective barrier around them and pushed Desmond out of it.

"Hey!" Desmond said. "Let me in there!"

"No can do. This barrier is for the audience only." Chris smirked. "Desmond's fear is ghosts. His challenge is to stay there for three minutes while ghosts surround him. If he gives up, then he doesn't gain a point for his team."

"That's so spooky." Tatiana remarked.

"It looks easy. Just beat them up real good." Arnold shrugged.

"Easy for you to say." Desmond glared at him as an eerie giggle echoed around the mansion. "No!" He looked around frantically.

"Timer starts...now!" Chris announced. Just then, ghosts started floating down the main staircase and into the lobby. They were only floating heads and were bloody in the neck and the eyes. They giggled hysterically as they circled around Desmond.

"You can do it, Desmond!" Sarah cheered.

"T-Those look s-scary." Phoebe said fearfully and Marvin hugged her.

"It's okay. They won't get us here. Right, Chris?" Marvin looked at the host.

"Yep. We're all safe here. Except Desmond."

"This looks pretty plain." Ivy noted.

"I know right." Cyrus yawned. "Where are all the other scarier ghosts?"

"Ahhh!" Desmond ran around the lobby in fear as the apparitions chased him. A minute has passed.

"Throw that vase at it." Cassie pointed at a flower vase atop a small table. Desmond picked it up but dropped it when a ghost snuck up from behind him.

"Gahhh!" The boy began running around again.

"Wow, he really is afraid." Nelly tried to hold in her laughter. "For such a big and strong guy, that's really something."

"I hope your fear gets you then." Arnold rolled his eyes. Another minute has passed.

Some of the furniture began to float and hover above and around Desmond ominously.

"Why is it getting worse!?" Desmond screamed in fear as he tried going upstairs but the chairs and sofas blocked him.

"Don't you wanna go back to safety?" Chris asked him as more ghosts appeared and surrounded Desmond.

"N-No..." Desmond muttered as he just went on his knees and tried to shield himself from them. The apparitions giggled more in a high pitched tone as they circled around him. "Is it done yet?"

"Actually, you've been done for 15 seconds now." Terrance told him.

"Aw, party pooper." Chris glared at the techie boy.

"Yeah, why'd you tell him?" Nelly glared as well.

"Look we don't have to drag this more than necessary. That's not right." Terrance adjusted his glasses.

"Fine." Chris rolled his eyes as he placed a portal in front of Desmond and another one inside the barrier.

"Yes!" Desmond immediately exited the area through the portal while the others exited in theirs.

 **~Confessional~**

 **Desmond:** Did Chris seriously did an overtime just to watch my reaction? This really sucks. *he grumbled as he tried to control his breathing*

 **Terrance:** I think it's bullying when we have to drag it longer than we should. It's not fun for the other guy and no one has to go through that any longer than they should.

 **~End Confessional~**

They all returned to the area of the Red Sith outpost. The portal to Desmond's challenge closed.

"Since Desmond successfully survived his challenge, the Silver Terminators get one point!" Chris announced. The members of the Silver Terminators cheered. "But the Cyan Protoss can still tie it up, because it's Tatiana's turn!"

"Ha! The Chocobo Slayer is afraid of nothing!" Tatiana declared proudly.

"Is that so?" Chris chuckled. "Let's enter your portal and find out."

They all entered the next portal which was color yellow and had sparks of red in it. Tatiana walked proudly which earned a raised eyebrow from Terrance and Nelly.

"I wonder what her fear is." Terrance whispered to the nerd girl.

"Probably something easy to conquer." Nelly whispered back. "She's pretty arrogant about it."

"Tatiana's fear is pretty...interesting." Chris said as they entered a whole new land.

The platform they are in is circular and appears to be floating. Jane peeked down and saw that they are above the clouds.

"Are we in heaven?" Ivy asked.

"This is so cool!" Sarah looked down as well. "I wonder if I could actually do the air guitar properly here."

Arnold smirked. "That's not how air guitars work, babe."

"Tatiana's fear is heights." Chris explained. "Specifically, fear not knowing if she'll live or die by falling from heights. That means her challenge is to jump off this platform."

"So that's why she's pretty arrogant about it." Nelly snapped her fingers.

"It's because we're avatars and we don't have to fear death, right?" Marvin thought aloud.

"Yeah! Isn't it great?" Tatiana exclaimed as she went over the edge. "That's why I said I don't fear anything! Not in here, that is."

"Just jump already." Chris grumbled. "It's hard to actually make this difficult. Just fear of heights would be enough, but no. It had to be specific."

Tatiana laughed and then prepared herself to jump. "Here I go!" She leaped off the platform and the others ran to see her fall. She disappeared among the clouds as her excited scream still filled the air but gradually became softer and more distant.

"Let's go. Nothing to see here." Chris sighed as he gestured back at the portal. "There's actually a portal waiting for her below so she'll be back in while." Everyone nodded and went back inside the portal.

 **~Confessional~**

 **Tatiana:** That was so amazing! My heart skipped a beat when I neared the ground, but then I saw this portal open up below me so all is well. *she beams*

 **~End Confessional~**

Meanwhile, Nataline was alone in the portal she was pushed through. She wandered around the darkness, each step creating a ripple sound and effect as if she is walking on water. Looking around, she found no one in sight and felt no breeze either.

"Hello? Anyone there?" She called out tentatively. No response. "Was I really abandoned? What if they won't come back for me?" She looked around to see if she can find the portal.

She walked around more and found a small speck of light in the distance.

"Maybe there's someone there." She said hopefully. "Hello?" She called out again as she headed for the light in a quick pace. The soon became bigger and bigger until she saw that it formed a human figure in a bright silhouette. It was female in form and was reaching out to her.

"Nataline…" The figure called her name as if she was an old acquaintance. It's voice was slightly distorted but Nataline could clearly identify whose voice it was.

"Mother?" The noble girl said in shock as her eyes widened. She tried to reach out to the figure as well but just as she did, the figure surrounded in light flashed brighter which blinded her vision for a moment. As she shielded her eyes, the figure formed itself into that of Nataline's mother. Just like Nataline, she had purple hair but it's tied in a one sided ponytail. She wore a floral blouse and a pink skirt, and had a small smile on her face.

"Yes dear, it's me." Nataline's mother said with a warm smile. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm supposed to ask you that." Nataline exclaimed. "Is it really you, mother?" She stared at her mother in disbelief.

"Of course. Who else would I be?" Her mother said with a slight giggle. "Come, give your mother a hug."

Nataline was overcome with happiness to say no. She went over to her mother and gave her a hug. However, just as she did, her mother vanished in a cloud of smoke. She coughed and waved her hand to brush off the smoke.

"I changed my mind." Her mother's voice echoed around, sounding distant yet clear. "You're used to being alone anyway, right?"

"W-What!?" Nataline looked around but her mother was gone.

"You're a noble now. Stand upright. Be proud." The voice said, almost scathingly. "You have your family legacy anyway."

"Hey that's not-" Nataline was interrupted when four people formed in front of her through black smoke. Three of them were burly men and the other one was a servant boy. The servant looked at the three men in fear as they close in on him, glaring down.

"What do you want?" The boy said fearfully. One of the men punched him in the gut and he doubled over, groaning in pain.

"Shut up kid. Orders are orders." One of the burly men said. Another one knee'd him in the stomach and he staggered back in pain.

"Gah!" The servant cried out in pain. "Please…Stop."

"We said shut up!" The third one decked him across the face and he fell to the ground, the side of his head bleeding from the fall.

"Stop that! Don't hurt him!" Nataline yelled as she rushed over to save the servant boy. But when she got there they all vanished in smoke. "No! Nikolai…."

"You just couldn't behave." Her mother's voice said again. "I didn't raise you to question your elders."

"You abandoned me!" Nataline shot back as she looked all around but found no sign of her mother or of the four people. "You left me to that fate!"

"Maybe you should stop being so weak then." Her mother scoffed as she reappeared in front of Nataline. "I'm disappointed in you."

Nataline gasped and a tear escaped her eye. "You…You're not my mother." She countered. "You're probably just some AI Chris sent to distract me." She turned away to avoid her.

"So you DO want to be abandoned." Her mother shook her head. "Is that really your fear? Doesn't look like it at all."

"I hate being abandoned!" Nataline stormed off. "It's your fault this happened to me. I don't deserve my step mother's abuse. What did I ever do to deserve it?" She felt herself wanting to cry but held it back.

"But I'm here now, dear. We can stay here and chat." Her mother said in a sweet tone now.

"You're not real." Nataline said simply. "I can't take this anymore. I'm leaving you."

"Then stay here. Alone." Nataline's mother vanished once again. Nataline realized this and looked around frantically. She was alone again.

"If you think I'll actually give up, then you're wrong." Nataline said but her voice shook. She walked around and found no more trace of the black smoke. "I'm all alone now." She sighed.

Eerie sounds started to fill the air. It was the sound of Nikolai's screams of pain as he was getting beaten up and the sound of her step mother's insults and hits.

"Make it stop! I said stop!" Nataline screamed.

"Stay here. Alone." The mother's voice rang through her ears.

"No…No! I don't want to be alone." Nataline panted hard as she tried to find the exit. "I don't want to do this anymore! I want to go back!" She called out. After a moment, a portal appeared behind her. She immediately ran towards it as fast as she can without looking back. She came out from the other end of the portal and crashed into Terrance.

"Oh and here is the bad news, apparently." Chris noted once Nataline rejoined the group.

"What the- Get off me!" Terrance exclaimed as he pushed the noble girl off of him.

"Is it...Is it over?" Nataline sat up and looked around tentatively.

"Yes it is. And you lost." Chris told her. "You didn't stay there for the entire challenge. In fact, it was fairly short." He shrugged. "But at least Tatiana finished hers so the Cyan Protoss and Silver Terminators are tied!" He announced.

"That's good, right?" Tatiana looked at the rest of her team.

"I don't see what's so wrong with Nataline's challenge. All she has to do is sit still until it's over. Heck, maybe even sleep." Nelly scoffed as Nataline stood up and dusted herself off.

"It was nothing like that." Nataline frowned, still reeling in from the experience. "It was traumatizing."

"Well it wouldn't be a phobia challenge if it was easy." Cyrus scoffed. Tatiana raised her hand but Cyrus glared at her. "Shut up, yours doesn't count."

"Anyway, we should get moving to the next challenge." Chris announced. "Next up is Sarah." The rocker girl gulped.

 **~Confessional~**

 **Nataline:** They don't understand. My challenge was so difficult. Maybe I'll just sleep it off, I hope. *she buries her face in her hands*

 **~End Confessional~**

The contestants were now by a gravel quarry. There is a warning sign that says there is a deep water and quicksand ahead. Sarah tensed up as she saw it.

"Sarah's fear is getting caught in quicksand." Chris said to them. "So her challenge is to allow herself to drown in quicksand. If she calls out that she gives up, she losses."

"G-Got it." Sarah nodded slowly as she stepped forward. Arnold went to her side and held her hand.

"You can do it, babe." Arnold encouraged her. "I believe in you."

"Too cliche." Cyrus called out.

"But it works." Ivy pointed out.

"Which side are you on?" Cyrus countered with a sneer.

"Thanks Arnold, I needed that." Sarah kissed her boyfriend on the cheek as she went ahead of him. With a long breath, she went to the area where the quicksand was. She stepped inside the quicksand and gasped when she slowly sunk down.

"And the challenge has started." Chris said. "Let's see how long she'll last." He added with a smirk.

"She has to. We need to win." Marvin stated.

"She will, don't worry." Arnold said confidently.

"I hope she breaks and losses." Nelly rolled her eyes with disdain.

"This is so stressful." Sarah said fearfully as the quicksand was now up to her waist.

"Y-You can do it." Phoebe cheered her on.

"I wonder what's so scary about quicksands." Jude wondered.

"Probably the fact that it's a slow yet sure death." Terrance answered in a deadpan.

"Are you sure you're not giving up?" Chris asked with a smirk as Sarah sunk so low that the quicksand now reached her neck.

"Never." Sarah said defiantly as the quicksand finally covered her entire being and she sunk down.

"She did it!" Arnold exclaimed.

"Things are looking up for us, y'all." Cassie nodded.

"Yes, she did." Chris affirmed. "Let's go back to the Red Sith outpost, she'll wait for us there."

The contestants got out of the quicksand field through the portal they came in earlier.

 **~Confessional~**

 **Sarah:** Seriously, that was so scary, but now I feel like I can make a rock song out of this.

 **~End Confessional~**

"Yay, w-we get another point." Phoebe cheered as they returned.

"Told you you can do it." Arnold nudged the rocker girl and she smiled.

"Yeah. It wasn't so bad after all." Sarah admitted. "I guess I overestimated quicksands."

"Now that the Silver Terminators have another point, next up is Nelly." Chris announced.

"Already?" Nelly groaned. "Whatever. Let's just...let's just get it over with."

"What are you afraid of?" Terrance asked the nerd girl.

"You're about to find out anyway." Nelly retorted.

Chris pointed towards a portal that was violet in color. "It's this way." And they all went inside.

They ended up in a city completely thrown into utter chaos. Crashed cars with broken windows are scattered everywhere, the road is littered with blood and garbage, and there are a lot of dead bodies everywhere. In the distance, they can see a horde of zombies staggering towards them.

"A zombie apocalypse?" Tatiana said in surprise. "Cool!"

"No!" Nelly snapped at her. "This is NOT cool!" She glanced fearfully at the oncoming horde.

"Nelly's fear is the zombie apocalypse." Chris stated.

"But you're a nerd." Desmond pointed out. "Aren't nerds supposed to look forward to that stuff?"

"Yeah. What's a zombie gonna do anyway?" Arnold scoffed.

"You guys got no idea what they can do to you!" Nelly countered back. "I hate my challenge already."

"Your challenge is to charge through those zombies and get to the end point over there." Chris pointed at a large circle that glowed in the distance. "If you succeed, you earn a point for your team."

"We do need this point." Nelly grumbled. "Can I use my assets?"

"Nope." Chris said with a smirk.

"Dammit." Nelly cursed. "Fine then." She stepped forward and the zombies noticed her and staggered forward faster.

"Okay, go!" Chris ordered and Nelly took off running. She circled around a car and avoiding two zombies that were slashing at her.

"I can do this. Come on, Nelly." Nelly chanted to herself as she passed two more zombies but got scratched a bit on her left arm. "Gah.." She gritted her teeth and kept going.

"Do you think she'll win?" Marvin asked his teammates.

"Nope. She's physically weak, and I know for a fact that you need to be physically strong in order to survive a zombie apocalypse." Jane answered.

"Hey, we know she can win, right guys?" Tatiana looked towards her teammates for support.

"I guess so." Ivy answered.

"Maybe." Terrance adjusted his glasses. Nataline just shrugged as she stared ahead distantly.

"Whatever." Cyrus rolled his eyes.

"I know she can win it." Lucy said softly.

"Same here. Let's believe in our teammate." Jude encouraged the rest.

Meanwhile, Nelly hid behind a car as four zombies staggered past her, unaware of her presence.

"Now." Nelly ran past the cover of the car and dashed forward, crashing into a lone zombie in the process. "Umph!" She fell hard on the ground and the zombie stumbled back as well. "Ahhh!" She screamed and the four zombies turned around and chased her down while the knocked down zombie slowly got up.

The nerd girl immediately got up and made a final dash for the end point, fear acting as her adrenaline as she did. "Aaaahh!" She screamed more when more zombies saw her and staggered towards her. She stumbled forward when she didn't see a fallen zombie by her feet and went rolling ahead. With a pant, she crawled her way to the circle just as zombie hands reached out to grab her. Luckily for her, she was able to get her entire self into the circle just before a zombie grabbed her ankle and so the circle resonated and a bright light burned off the zombie's hand but not Nelly.

"And Nelly made it to the end point! She has earned another point for her team." Chris announced.

"Yay!" Tatiana cheered.

"These zombies sucked." Jane pointed out.

"I know right." Cyrus agreed with a groan.

"Are you happy Nelly won or not?" Terrance glared at the emo boy.

"Shut it." Cyrus sneered.

 **~Confessional~**

 **Nelly:** That was scary as hell! No way am I doing that again!

 **Jane:** Seriously, those zombies were too slow. She could have lost that before she even got halfway there.

 **~End Confessional~**

Once everyone had gone back to the Red Sith area, Nelly was already waiting for them.

"HA! In your face, Arnold." Nelly smirked victoriously.

"Oh yeah? Just wait until my challenge comes up." Arnold retorted. "Then we'll see who's better."

"I'm glad you brought that up, Arnold. Because it's actually your turn." Chris told the soccer player.

"Okay, I'm ready." Arnold pounded his fists together excitedly.

Chris pointed at another portal just as Nelly's portal disappeared. "Then let's go people!" He led the contestants into the portal to begin Arnold's challenge.

When they went to the other side, they were in a large soccer field. The bleachers were empty and it was nighttime so the lights were on and focused on the field.

"We're in a soccer field?" Nelly said in disbelief. "Arnold's fear is his own sport?"

"Plot twist right here." Ivy remarked.

"Arnold may be a pretty strong guy, but his fear is related to soccer. Or rather, someone related to soccer." Chris smirked at the soccer player, who began to look ahead in the field.

"Wait you can't possibly mean-" Arnold started.

"Hello, Arnold." A voice was heard from across the field. A figure stepped forward to meet them, holding a soccer ball in his hands. He had spiky red hair, purple eyes, and a smirk on his face. He wore a blue soccer outfit with the number 6 and his last name designed on the back and front, his last name being Watson.

"What, is this an AI?" Terrance asked Chris.

"It's not an AI. It's an avatar like you guys. You didn't think there were only 24 pods in the Drama Dome, now did you?" Chris turned to them then back at the visitor.

"You brought HIM here!?" Arnold exclaimed in disbelief. "Of all the people..."

"What's wrong? Not happy to see me?" The boy in the blue outfit said. "Are you...afraid?" He laughed mockingly.

"I don't like this guy." Sarah glared at the newcomer.

"Same here. He's too cocky." Cassie added.

"H-He's kinda scary." Phoebe said.

"Now let's get on to the challenge." Chris said. "Arnold's challenge is simple. He has to steal the ball from Ray over here. There will be a time limit of one minute."

"It's easy enough." Desmond remarked.

"Yeah, no problem for Arnold, right?" Sarah looked at her boyfriend. Arnold, however, looked angry.

"Ray..." Arnold seethed as he glared at the other soccer player. "So you're my challenge? This should be easy."

"Easy? That's not what happened last time." Ray said with a shake of his head. "Last time, it was 5 - 0." He said arrogantly.

"Why you-" Arnold charged at him as ray dropped the soccer ball.

"I guess that means that the challenge starts now." Chris shrugged.

Arnold started it off with a slide tackle but Ray simply kicked the ball upward and jumped, catching it with his chest in mid air. He landed perfectly on the ground as Arnold stood back up.

"Is that all you got? So much for the Green Bolt's ace striker." Ray snickered.

"Shut up!" Arnold shouted as he ran up behind him and started tackling him, but the other boy simply back stepped and Arnold tripped sideways. "What!"

"You were always too slow." Ray commented as he dribbled the ball past him. "Always too weak." He emphasized the last word with a sneer. "Now you'll fail this challenge for your team because you're weak!"

"Hey, don't talk about him like that!" Sarah yelled from the sidelines. "He's not weak!"

"Well he is." Ray snorted. "Just look at this guy try." Arnold tried to steal the ball again but Ray feinted and avoided him.

"B-But that's still mean t-t-to say." Phoebe squeaked out.

"Yeah, I agree." Terrance said as he crossed his arms. "Talk about arrogant."

"Come on, you both look pretty weak too." Ray rolled his eyes. "The weak don't get to have a say in anything." He kicked the back straight at Arnold's chest just as he was preparing to charge him again, knocking him backwards.

"I'll get you for that." Arnold said as he stood up and ran towards Ray again.

"Sure you will." Ray smirked as he dodged Arnold's attempt to steal the ball yet again. The red haired soccer player tacked Arnold to the ground.

"Time's up!" Chris announced.

"Hah!" Ray kicked the ball into the net and he laughed victoriously. "See what I mean? Too weak!" He started walking away. "I'm surprised you even made it this far."

"Damn it." Arnold grunted as he stood up slowly. Sarah came rushing to his aid and helped him up.

"Are you okay?" The rocker girl asked her boyfriend in a worried tone.

"Yeah. I'll be fine." Arnold said with a heavy sigh. "I guess I lost that one."

"Yes you did." Chris affirmed. "Let's head back. We still got more challenges to do."

Everyone started heading back to the portal. Nataline, Tatiana, Marvin, and Lucy stared after Ray as he walked further and further away before entering a different portal.

"That guy is so toxic." Tatiana remarked.

"Like Cyrus." Marvin agreed. "Except, he's better."

"The weak don't get to have a say in anything..." Nataline repeated softly.

"What was that?" Lucy looked towards the noble girl while tilting her head.

"Nothing." Nataline shook her head with a smile as she went towards the portal.

 **~Confessional~**

 **Arnold:** I hate and fear Ray at the same time, I admit. *he sighs* He's from our rival team, the Trident. He's their team captain and midfielder, and he's got shooting skills too. I know that my team is basically unstoppable, but that's because we haven't participated in the bigger leagues yet. We did a friendly match with them once, and yeah, it was a crushing 5 - 0 defeat for us.

 **Nataline:** Ray seems to know what he was doing back there. Is that what it means to be strong? To rule and crush the weak?

 **~End Confessional~**

"Okay, up next is Ivy from the Cyan Protoss." Chris announced. Ivy was currently spacing out though and that made him irritated. "I said, it's Ivy's turn next." He repeated irritably.

"Oh, really? It's my turn now?" Ivy snapped back to reality. "Okay."

"That's it? No shriek of fear or anything?" Chris deadpanned.

"Oh I am afraid alright. I'd rather save my shock for when it actually happens." Ivy stated.

"I see." Chris said, weirded out. "Then let's go." He gestured towards another portal and they all went through it.

The contestants ended up in a wooden platform in the middle of the ocean. There was a single life vest on the floor and some rope.

"For Ivy's challenge, she has to swim to land over there." Chris pointed at an island in the near distance. "Her fear is the ocean, so this is a good challenge for her." He said smugly.

"I'm not doing it." Ivy said simply.

"What?" Chris asked.

"I said I'm not doing it." Ivy repeated. "I can't conquer my fear." Her voice slightly shook now.

"At least try." Nelly pointed out to her.

"Yeah, you can do it!" Tatiana cheered her on.

"But I don't want to. I'll have this fear attack and then I won't be able to focus much." Ivy frowned.

"So you give up? Before it even starts?" Jane raised her eyebrow.

"Yeah." Ivy headed back to the portal and disappeared.

"Well that was...unusually fast." Chris remarked. "This means that the Cyan Protoss get no point."

"We should really vote her out." Jude shook his head.

"I agree with you there." Nelly nodded. Everyone went back to the portal after Ivy.

 **~Confessional~**

 **Ivy:** I knew from the start that i would be backing out. No need to drag this along any further.

 **~End Confessional~**

Chris sighed irritably once everyone made it back to the Red Sith area.

"Seriously Ivy, do you even try to play the game?" The host asked the now spaced out girl. No response from Ivy. Chris sighed again. "Anyway, next up is Cassie."

The ranch girl tipped her hat forward. "Already? Welp, gotta go do this sometime." She shrugged.

"Your challenge is over there." Chris point at a light orange portal. "Hurry up everyone." He ordered. Everyone else went through the portal but Chris stopped Tatiana from going inside. "Not you."

"What!? Why not?" The gamer girl pouted.

"I need you to get something for me. It's for the challenge." Chris explained.

After a while, Chris joined the others on the other side of the portal. They were in some dirt area with a large rodeo ring in the middle. There is an audience dressed in country themed clothes on one side of the ring while the contestants stood on the other side.

"So those are all NPC, huh." Terrance noted.

"Where's Tatiana?" Nelly looked around.

"Beats me." Jude shrugged as he looked around as well but found no sign of the gamer girl.

"This is a rodeo ring right?" Lucy asked the host.

"Yep, that's the one." Chris affirmed. "Cassie doesn't have a particularly ground breaking fear…" Sarah raised her eyebrow and made a face at Chris. ".….but she does lack in one talent most ranchers know of."

"A-And what is t-that?" Phoebe asked.

"Horseback riding." Cassie answered for her in a rather grim tone.

"Wait, really?" Desmond said in surprise. "So you mean to say that you've never ridden a horse?"

"I have. I'm just no good at it." Cassie shook her head. "Most of my folks back home respect me and look up to me, but that sure is gonna come crashing down when they find out I ain't good at this thing."

"That's right, and now is your chance to prove them wrong." Arnold encouraged her. "Show them that you're good at this too."

"Encouraging her is so mainstream, so let's demoralize her even more." Chris chuckled mischievously.

As if on cue, Tatiana came out of the portal riding her mecha chocobo. She charged right through but avoided all the contestants before the chocobo leaped over the wooden fence of the rodeo ring and landed in the center. A cloud of dust gathered as it came to a stop.

"There she is." Jude said.

"I can see that, genius." Nelly sneered.

The audience on the other side cheered upon seeing her entrance. The gamer girl got down from her mount ans waved at the crowd.

"That was so cool!" Tatiana exclaimed.

"You know you suck when a gamer wannabe is better at horseback riding than an actually ranch girl." Cyrus snickered.

"That's not even a horse." Marvin pointed out.

"But it is what Cassie has to ride for this challenge." Chris said. After he said this, Cassie's eyes widened.

"Wait, what!? I have to ride THAT!?" She pointed at the mechanical creature just as Tatiana went over the fence and joined them.

"Chris told me that my mecha chocobo would be needed so I brought it here." Tatiana told them. "So what's it gonna be used for?"

"Cassie has to get on that thing for the challenge." Chris shrugged as he took out a remote. "And now, to hype things up." He pressed a button and the mecha chocobo's eyes suddenly turned dark purple and it let out a loud squawk.

"What did you do to it?" Nelly's mouth was agape as she saw the chocobo look around wildly at the audience on the other side.

"I manually set it to max speed mode. It's basically on steroids now." Chris explained. "Cassie's challenge is to ride it and hold on for one minute. Not that hard, right?"

"For a normal rancher girl, yes." Cassie said grimly as she tipped her hat backward and stepped forward.

"Wait, there's more." Chris announced with a smirk.

"What is it now?" Cassie turned around in annoyance.

Chris waved his hand at the audience in the other side and one of them dispersed from the group and began walking towards the contestants. From a distance, they could see that it's a girl and she is wearing a simple cream colored dress, and appears to be holding a parasol in her hand to keep her shielded from the heat of the sun.

"Who is that?" Jude asked as he squinted to get a closer look. He saw that the girl had black hair that reached until her mid back.

"Lucina…" Cassie breathed as she realized who it was.

"Cassie. It's been a while." Lucina greeted with a small smile as she joined the contestants. "Chris has given me the opportunity to watch you live. My schedule was open, and so I accepted."

"I mean, it's mighty great that you're here." Cassie said. "But this is my phobia challenge. It's not…technically my greatest moment." She stammered.

"Chris has filled me in on that as well." Lucina said coolly. "I know you can pull through. I'll be watching from here so I hope you do your best."

"Thanks for the support." Cassie smiled and but her voice didn't sound all that confident.

"Well let's get on with it, we don't have all day." Chris said impatiently and Cassie continued on ahead and went over the fence.

Cassie continued walking until she was at the middle and the mecha chocobo whipped its head around to stare at her intensely, squawking once at her. "Easy girl." She coaxed as she got on the creature and held the reins.

"And the timer starts….Now!" Chris announced. At that moment, the chocobo's eyes flared up and began swinging around wildly.

"Whoaaa!" Cassie exclaimed in fear as she gripped on to the reins tight to keep from flying off as the chocobo began moving around the ring.

"Hang in there, Cassie!" Jane called out to her.

"Y-Yeah. You can d-do it." Phoebe cheered as well.

The audience cheered on at the display before them. The mecha chocobo made sharp turns around the ring to try and get Cassie off of it but the rancher girl held the reins tightly as her knuckles whitened.

"Aren't you going to cheer her on?" Nataline asked Lucina.

"I show my silent support by watching the event intently, Nataline." Lucina said without breaking her gaze from the rodeo ring. "She knows this."

"Really?" Nataline asked in disbelief.

"Hey, what's your name?" Jane asked as she approached the two and addressed Lucina.

"I'm Lucina." Lucina introduced herself with a small smile but didn't look away. "I'm Cassie's friend from back home and no I am not an AI. You must be Jane, right?"

"Yeah, that's me." Jane nodded.

"I like how you used the Statue last night. Very strategical." Lucina complimented. "Although, it's flawed." She noted.

"I knew the risks when I did it." Jane said. "I just had to do it."

"And now you need this win more than ever to prevent another member gone." Lucina noted as she saw that Cassie was almost thrown off the chocobo but she locked her legs in the creature's sides in a desperate attempt to stay on. "I hope you do win, of course."

"We're still in the game too." Nataline pointed out. "The score is tied."

"And it won't be once Cassie wins." Lucina said coolly.

"And...time's up!" Chris announced. The chocobo suddenly stopped and Cassie slowly got off the creature to stagger back to them.

"I did it y'all." The rancher girl said in between pants. "And honestly, it's because ya were here." She smiled at Lucina and the latter smiled back.

"I'm happy to be here and support you." Lucina giggled. "It has been a while since we last met up."

"Yeah it has." Cassie agreed. "Hey Chris, can she stay with us?"

"Nope, she has to go back for now." Chris shook his head. "But you'll see her again real soon after the challenge."

"That's great!" Cassie exclaimed.

"Win it for me, alright?" Lucina asked with a smile.

"Yeah, I will." Cassie blushed slightly and nodded.

"Okay, let's head back so we can start the next challenge." Chris ordered as he went back to the portal. Everyone else followed as Lucina and the audience waved goodbye to them.

 **~Confessional~**

 **Cassie:** Chris probably put Lucina here to make me more nervous. And it did kinda work, but then I saw her supporting me silently from the sidelines and that just gave me more confidence in myself. I guess i really did just want to impress her by conquering that fear.

 **Jane:** That Lucina person is pretty decent. I can tell she really is Cassie's friend. So why does Cassie look at her differently at times? It's kinda weird.

 **Lucina:** So this is the confessional booth? It's just a drone hovering in an open space. How is this private?

 **~End Confessional~**

Everyone went back to the Red Sith area with Cassie grinning from ear to ear.

"So how long have you two known each other?" Marvin asked the rancher girl.

"For quite some time already." Cassie replied. "She lives further away so we don't meet up often."

"A-Are you two close?" Phoebe asked innocently.

"Yeah, we are." Cassie nodded. "It's great she came and watched."

"Yeah yeah let's move on from that already. The Silver Terminators get a point and all that." Chris said. "Next up is Jude."

"Aw what? Me already?" Jude groaned. "Fine."

"It's this way." Chris led them into another portal. Jude hesitantly followed him inside but he did anyway. The rest of them soon followed.

They ended up in a dense forest area, filled with many small animal up and about. Jude's facial expression changed when he saw a few snakes coiled on trees.

"God no..." Jude muttered.

"Jude is afraid of snakes." Chris said. "So his challenge is to let some snakes slither on his body for one minute. If he runs away or removes them, he losses the challenge."

"Sounds easy..." Jude tried to sound brave but he gulped. Lucy frowned and held his hand.

"You don't have to do it if you don't want to." Lucy told him.

"But we're lagging behind." Jude pointed out. "I need to win this."

"Yeah, so get to it already. They're just snakes." Cyrus rolled his eyes.

"They're called phobias for a reason." Nelly retorted at Cyrus. "You're acting like this because you dont have to do anything."

"Guys, let's not fight." Tatiana tried to calm them down. "Let's encourage Jude instead."

"Well whether you encourage him or not, his challenge starts now." Chris took out his timer and a couple of snakes started slithering up to Jude.

"Wait! I didn't say I was ready!" Jude complained in fear.

"Sorry dude, but the clock is already ticking." Chris shrugged indifferently.

"Come on!" Jude froze still as the snakes slithered up his leg. "They're so gross." He muttered as a few more snakes slid down from a nearby tree and fell on his shoulders.

"I can't imagine how disturbed he is right now." Ivy said to no one in particular.

"T-That's pretty s-scary." Phoebe said fearfully.

"You're not even the one doing the challenge." Terrance pointed out.

"B-But it's still scary just w-watching it." Phoebe defended.

"What if the dude gets bitten?" Arnold exclaimed in shock.

"That's beneficial for us, right?" Sarah said. Desmond and Cassie shook their heads at her disapprovingly. "Okay fine, that was kinda mean."

"Thirty seconds left." Chris told the marksman.

"I sure hope so." Jude gritted his teeth as he looked away when a snake came coiling around his neck and then above his head.

"Can we keep one afterwards?" Nelly asked. "For scientific purposes." She glared at Arnold.

"Nope. You aren't allowed to bring out those in this place." Chris answered.

"Hey, time is up already." Lucy pointed at Chris' timer. "You're making it longer."

"What!?" Jude said in both shock and anger as he immediately worked fast to get all the snakes out of his body. "It was done already and you didn't tell me!?"

"You just had to point that out." Chris grumbled as he shook his head. "Anyway yeah, the challenge is done and you won."

"Finally." Jude breathed a sigh of relief, then panicked and hid behind Lucy when a snake drop down in front of him from a tree. "Help!" Lucy rolled her eyes but giggled.

 **~Confessional~**

 **Jude:** I hate snakes. Always have, always will.

 **Nelly:** I wanted to see if I can create a potent poison that I can use in future challenges. Chris sucks, I swear. *she sighs*

 **~End Confessional~**

"Are you alright, Jude?" Lucy asked her boyfriend as they made it back.

"No." The marksman replied with a frown. "I could still feel the snakes slithering all over me." He shuddered.

"You just need to sleep it off." Lucy said to him in concern.

"Yeah, maybe you're right." Jude sighed.

"Enough about Jude's complaints." Chris said dismissively. "Next up is Marvin's phobia."

"Well, this is it I guess." Marvin scratched his head.

"It'll b-be alright." Phoebe assured him with a cute smile.

"It's this way." Chris led them to a very colorful portal and he went through it. The rest soon followed.

"I wonder what his phobia is." Jane thought loud. "I never asked Marvin."

"Honestly, I'm curious too." Cyrus chimed in as he went inside the portal.

Once everyone was inside, they found out that they were inside a circus. People were sitting on the bleachers, laughing and clapping as they were watching a performance by clowns. About three clowns were performing on the center of the circus. One was on a unicycle while juggling, the other was riding a very small car, and the last one was trying to tame a lion with a whip and a chair.

"Marvin's fear is clowns." Chris told them with a smirk. "It's pretty basic so let's get on with it." He called the clown in the unicycle over, and he started heading towards them.

Marvin tensed up as he held Phoebe's hand. "Clowns?" Desmond repeated.

"I thought those fears were for children." Nataline remarked.

"Clowns are terrifying for me." Marvin shook his head.

The clown went closer to Marvin. He got off his unicycle and stopped juggling as he took out a cream pie from seemingly out of nowhere.

"Who wants to have some fun!?" The clown laughed as he approached Marvin. The other boy stepped back and released Phoebe's hand as his terrified look took over him.

"Yeah…No." Marvin turned around and ran back to the portal without a second thought.

"Whoa!" Arnold stepped to the side as he was basically shoved aside by Marvin as the latter made his exit. "You should have seen that guy's face."

"Something tells me he isn't coming back." Desmond told them as he shook his head.

"He really did seem frightened." Ivy added.

"Well he already left his challenge area, so I might as well consider it a loss." Chris shrugged. "Let's head back now."

"Wait, I haven't taken in the full atmosphere yet." Cyrus complained. Jude, however, grabbed him by the collar of his shirt and dragged him along despite his futile protests.

"I h-hope Marvin is okay." Phoebe said in a worried tone.

"I hope he didn't rush back to our outpost." Sarah chimed in. "He still has to be there to support you and Jane in your phobia challenges."

"Do we have to go back now? That one clown just finished taming the lion." Tatiana pointed at the center stage.

"I can't handle the cheery atmosphere for now." Nataline sighed as she went through the portal.

 **~Confessional~**

 **Marvin:** You know this feeling that you were just about to conquer your fear and then suddenly you tuck tail and run and your body wouldn't obey you? Yeah, that's the one that got me to quit.

 **~End Confessional~**

"Well that's no fun. I wanted to see Marvin do the challenge." Nelly pouted as they were back.

"I don't see him anywhere." Arnold looked around. "Maybe he did go back to the outpost."

"What a crybaby, it's just a phobia challenge." Cyrus rolled his eyes in disdain.

"Just shut up already." Nelly scoffed. "Whose turn is it?" She turned towards the host.

"Now it's Terrance's turn." Chris announced to the techie boy. "This better be good, because you're a unique case." He smirked. Terrance adjusted his glasses and looked away while putting his hands in his hoodie pockets.

"How so?" Nelly asked the host.

"You'll find out. Let's go." Chris motioned for them to follow him through another portal just as Marvin's portal closed.

"S-Shouldn't we go find M-Marvin first?" Phoebe meekly raised her hand and asked.

"Ignore him. We'll just meet him back here if he feels like it. We don't have all day, you know." Chris said dismissively as he went through the portal.

"But it's nighttime now." Nataline pointed upwards.

"Guess he doesn't care." Desmond went through the portal and soon everyone else followed.

On the other side of the portal is a vast and dark cave. The only sources of light present are two torches hanging on one side of the cave. A tall girl is standing beside the torches, minding her business as she was currently using her phone and unaware of their presence. She had hazel colored eyes and dark brown hair with her bangs held back by a hairpin. She is wearing a bright purple cheerleader's outfit with small yellow stars as the design, and had a bored look on her face as she was swiping at her phone while being unaware of their presence. There are two pom poms leaning against the cave wall beside her.

"So is this another 'special guest'?" Jude said with a smirk. "Terrance, do you know her?"

The techie boy just stared in utter shock, confusion, and anger. The cheerleader looked up from her phone and saw them all there.

"Oh you're finally here." She rolled her eyes in a bored fashion as she pocketed her phone. "The last time you were this late is when you gave me my math homework. Oh and for all you unpopular swine, my name is Kelly." She added.

"Why...Why is SHE here!?" Terrance snapped at Chris. "Let me guess, I have to escape this cave with her, don't I?" He groaned in anger.

"That's not all of it." Chris smirked. "Because this cave is filled with spiders, your other fear aside from popular girls."

"Terrance has two major fears?" Lucy's eyes widened a bit. "But isn't it cheating to expose both of them?"

"I don't care." Chris said bluntly.

"His fears look so basic though." Jane noted. "If anything, it's fair."

"Of course you'd say that. You're on the other team." Nelly snorted.

"Excuse me but what will the rest of us do?" Ivy asked Chris as she raised her hand. "If they're gonna travel this cave together, where will we go?"

"We'll be going back to the Red Sith outpost and monitor them from there." Chris said. "If Terrance wants to give up, he can just say so and I can place down a portal to send him and Kelly back."

"Can we just go back NOW?" Kelly asked with a smirk. "It's not like Terrance here is gonna complete it. It's a major waste of my time."

"Then why'd you agree to be here?" Tatiana frowned.

"Because Chris forced me to." Kelly deadpanned.

"Why can't I just do it alone?" Terrance groaned in frustration.

"Because it wouldn't be challenging." Chris chuckled.

"Not to mention I'm pretty popular. I'm definitely more popular than all of you combined." Kelly bragged as she flipped her hair.

Nataline raised her eyebrow. "You're pretty arrogant." She scoffed.

"And you look like you don't belong in this century." Kelly countered.

"What did you say-" Nataline stepped forward but Tatiana and Jude stopped her.

"Just let it go. It isn't worth it." Jude tried to calm her down.

"B-But she is pretty mean." Phoebe noted. "It's just like with R-Ray."

"Shut up, kid. Who even let you join this thing?" Kelly waved her hands towards Phoebe. "It's as if they ran out of good people to add in the cast."

Phoebe squealed in fear and hid behind Cassie. "E-Eeek!"

"Hey that ain't nice. Apologize to her." Cassie said as she glared at Kelly. The other girl was about to speak when Chris interjected.

"She can apologize later. Right now, Terrance has a challenge to do." Chris urged them all out of the portal. "Oh wait, forgot to take this." Chris took away Kelly's phone just as the cheerleader took it out from her pocket to turn it on.

"Hey!" Kelly protested.

"No phones allowed. You'll just use the flashlight to guide your way here." Chris pointed out. "You'll just have to rely on the torches." And with that, he went through the portal and it closed immediately just as Kelly gave chase.

"Noooooo!" The cheerleader screamed dramatically. Terrance just groaned and adjusted his glasses.

 **~Confessional~**

 **Terrance:** Just when I was about to actually try and be friends with Tatiana and Nelly, she shows up and reminds me why I hate girls in the first place. As for why I fear them, well it has something to do with a little bullying from school.

 **Nataline:** Some nerve that girl has! I clearly have more class than her and she thinks she can talk to me like that? *she huffs* I wish the spiders get her. Wait, but that would mean I'm wishing for Terrance to fail his challenge.

 **~End Confessional~**

Terrance and Kelly started walking down the cave, each with a torch in hand. It was damp and full of stalagmites and stalactites, offering no light for them as they kept going deeper and deeper.

"Just for the record, I did NOT agree to come here." Kelly shook her head as she sighed irritably. "Chris was just like sooooo pushy." She added with a snort.

"I didn't want this challenge to even happen." Terrance muttered to himself.

"What was that?" Kelly turned to him and narrowed her eyes.

"Nothing. It's nothing." Terrance said, forcing a smile and sounding innocent.

"I can tell you're not happy to be with me, and I am too." Kelly rolled her eyes. "But I wanna get out of this nasty place already so just focus."

"Then why don't you stop talking?" Terrance said, sounding irritated now. He dropped down from a platform and landed on another, holding his torch out to light the way. Just as Kelly followed him down, he saw a couple of spiders come out from behind a few stalagmites.

"God, already?" Terrance's eyes went wide as he backed off, waving his torch at the little creatures as if to try and get them to back off.

"Oh my God! Hurry up and do something about it!" Kelly said from behind him, peeking over to see the spiders as well. She squealed in disgust and fear as she backed up against the wall.

"I'm trying." Terrance adjusted his glasses as he saw an opening by the side of the cave. It was large enough for them to fit through and there are no spiders swarming that area. "In there!" He pointed towards it before breaking off into a sprint.

"Wait for me, you idiot!" Kelly called after him as she followed, tripped slightly as she saw a spider come up from above her. She ducked into the opening after Terrance.

Terrance held his torch forward to guide him in the tight space of the cave opening, breathing heavily and loudly as he did. Kelly shivered from behind him, trying to feel her pockets for her phone but realized that Chris took it earlier.

"I wanna tweet this to my friends, tell them how horrible you are as a guide." Kelly huffed when they finally made it out on the other end and into a more spacious part of the cave which had a large puddle of water on one side.

"A guide!? This is MY challenge!" Terrance snapped at her, turning back to face her and almost slamming his torch on her face. "If anything, you're the one making this harder for me."

"Hey watch it, geek." Kelly narrowed her eyes and poked his chest to push him back slightly. "I'm more important than you are in case you forgot." She said haughtily. "You think anyone cares about your unpopular self?"

"I have friends in this game." Terrance defended.

"Really? Like that gamer girl and that nerd? They aren't as cool and popular like me you know." Kelly pointed out arrogantly. "And not to mention that you're afraid of girls. You're not being very consistent."

"Shut up." Terrance grunted. A swarm of spiders then came from where they once entered and more came from ahead of the path. "No!" He exclaimed in fear as he froze in place, unable to properly think.

"Hey, what are you waiting for!?" Kelly snapped. "We can run straight ahead and just stomp on them, you know."

Terrance didn't respond as he looked behind him and saw the other swarm of spiders approach them. He shook in his place and before he knew it, he yelled: "I give up! Get me outta here!"

Suddenly, a portal appeared beside him and Kelly. It grew bigger and bigger until it was enough for both of them to fit inside. The spiders went closer and closer to them now and so Terrance wasted no time and just went for it.

"H-Hey!" Kelly said as she followed suit. The portal closed before any spiders could enter it, sending them both to the safety of the Red Sith outpost.

 **~Confessional~**

 **Terrance:** I just couldn't take it anymore! *he breathed heavily* The spiders and Kelly are all too much.

 **Kelly:** It's not my fault Terrance is such a wimp. No wonder he gets pushed around so easily.

 **~End Confessional~**

They emerged inside the Red Sith outpost where everyone else was waiting, a large blue hologram representing monitors is seen behind them, showing different parts of the spider cave they were just in.

"Looks like Terrance couldn't finish his challenge. Cyan Protoss gets no point." Chris announced.

"Aw." Tatiana groaned.

"Yes, one step closer to victory." Sarah grinned as she high fived Arnold.

"Don't get so cocky." Nelly sneered.

"I think they can get cocky whenever they want. Terrance clearly failed you guys." Kelly shrugged as she walked out of the outpost. "Maybe you should vote him off." She giggled in a shrill tone as she left.

"Hmph." Nataline mumbled to herself as she watched the cheerleader go.

"Good riddance." Cyrus sighed. "I can't take her attitude anymore." Marvin and Jane raised their eyebrows at this comment.

"Well the score is still tied." Chris pointed out. "Next up is Phoebe."

"E-Eeek!" Phoebe screamed fearfully as she hid behind a chair in the outpost, cowering in fear.

"Well it looks like she doesn't want to do it so let's skip her." Cyrus shrugged.

"Shut up, Phoebe can do it." Jane glared at the emo boy. She and Marvin went over to the doll faced girl and comforted her.

"Phoebe, you have to at least try." Marvin encouraged her. "For the team."

"B-But I'm scared. I don't k-know if I can do i-it." Phoebe stuttered as she continued to cower.

"We'll be there with you, you know." Jane said with a grin.

"O-Okay." Phoebe slowly nodded as she stood up from hiding.

"Can we get on with it now?" Chris asked impatiently.

"Y-Yes." Phoebe stuttered out.

They went outside of the outpost and back to where the portals are. They saw that only three remain now.

"This is getting intense, y'all." Cassie remarked.

"Time for the final plays." Arnold agreed.

"It isn't over yet for us, since we still have Lucy." Jude said to his team.

"This is assuming Phoebe and Jane lose theirs and Lucy wins hers." Nelly pointed out. "We don't even know what Lucy's fear is."

"I don't know it either." Lucy told Nelly softly.

"What? Really?" Nelly was surprised to hear that.

"Is that normal?" Ivy asked Lucy.

"Alright, everyone follow me." Chris interrupted as he went through a portal. Everyone else followed him inside.

 **~Confessional~**

 **Lucy:** I didn't put anything in the app form regarding my biggest fear. I really don't know what it is, if I have any at all.

 **Marvin:** I believe in Phoebe, and we need her win if we want to gain an advantage at this challenge.

 **~End Confessional~**

They all emerged in a hospital located in a big city. They were currently inside one of the patient's room where Phoebe was sitting on the bed and a nurse was beside her. There was also a tray with a silver platter containing multiple syringes.

"Phoebe's fear is getting injected with syringes." Chris told the contestants. "Her challenge is to let herself get injected, and not allowing it or resisting results in the Silver Terminators not receiving a point."

"B-But it's so scary!" Phoebe exclaimed fearfully as she inched away from the nurse when the latter started picking up one syringe and checking for the liquid.

"Just breathe, Phoebe." Sarah suggested. "Don't think about it and just focus on happy things. That's how I conquered my fear."

"Think of the syringe! Think of the syringe!" Cyrus chanted with a laugh. Cassie smacked him on the back of his head.

"If ya distract Phoebe, you'll regret it." Cassie said harshly to the emo boy.

"Just don't focus on the syringe and just look at us, your friends." Jane said to the doll faced girl. Phoebe nodded and looked at Jane, Cassie, and Arnold just as the nurse went close to inject her.

"I hope this works." Desmond shook his head.

"I hope it doesn't." Terrance adjusted his glasses. Jane and Cassie glared at him and he immediately raised his hands in surrender.

The nurse held Phoebe's arm and she squealed in surprise but didn't pull back. "I can do this. I can do this." She chanted to herself softly as she closed one eye. The syringe touched her upper right arm and it was slowly injected inside. "E-Eeek!" She shrieked fearfully.

"Breathe, Phoebe!" Sarah urged her.

"Think of other things." Marvin added. Phoebe nodded slowly and allowed herself to be injected.

After a while, it was finished. The nurse pulled away with the empty syringe in her hand. Phoebe still shook from the experience but controlled herself.

"Is it...Is it o-over?" She asked meekly.

"Yes, Phoebe. You completed your challenge and earned a point for your team." Chris told the doll faced girl.

"Y-Yay!" Phoebe cheered as Marvin pulled her in for a hug.

"You did it! We're in the lead now!" Marvin exclaimed.

"Damn right we are." Jane nodded.

"Take that!" Arnold bragged to the other team.

"Whatever." Cyrus rolled his eyes.

"Lucy, I hope you know what to do." Nelly told the soft spoken girl and she nodded tentatively.

"I think i can handle mine, whatever that is." Lucy replied.

 **~Confessional~**

 **Phoebe:** I'm s-so glad I was useful to my t-team. I hope that means I p-proved my worth so that I c-can stay.

 **~End Confessional~**

The Silver Terminators went back to the Red Sith outpost on a happier note while the Cyan Protoss looked a little distressed.

"Things are looking up for us for once." Desmond smiled.

"I agree with ya there." Cassie nodded.

"The only one who hasn't done their phobia yet is Lucy." Nataline said to her team.

"Thanks for telling us the obvious." Cyrus rolled his eyes. "You better win this." He glanced harshly at Lucy.

"What's with a cruel stare? I don't see you doing anything for the team." Jude stepped up and came up to Cyrus' face. "You have no right to talk like that to our teammates."

"It's not my fault they can't conquer their fears." Cyrus said exasperatedly. "Cut me some slack." He stormed away from his team to cool off for a bit.

"Seriously, let's vote him out already." Nelly whined.

"That doesn't sound like a bad idea actually." Ivy nodded.

"Wait so it didn't even cross your mind?" Terrance asked, surprised.

"It did. I just thought we should give him a chance." Ivy explained.

"Well he is proving to be more of a nuisance than much help." Nataline told her. Ivy nodded in understanding but Terrance rolled his eyes.

"Lucy, are you ready to start your challenge?" Chris asked the soft spoken girl. "If you win this, you may still be able to force a tiebreaker assuming that Jane losses hers. But if you lose, then victory automatically goes to the Silver Terminators."

"A tie breaker is better than nothing. Go Lucy!" Tatiana cheered.

"Yes. Let's go." Lucy nodded to Chris as she looked towards her portal. "I want to see my greatest fear as well." She began walking towards it.

"I'll join you and help you out." Jude offered as he stepped forward but Chris stopped him.

"No can do." Chris shook his head. "For her challenge, she needs to be alone. The rest of you will have to watch through the monitors." He motioned back inside the outpost.

"Without any support, there is a chance she might lose." Desmond grinned at that idea.

"Damn you sound like Shane now." Arnold shook his head.

"Yeah that did sound like something Shane would say." Desmond admitted.

"Are you ready, Lucy?" Jude asked his girlfriend.

"Yes. I should be." Lucy said softly.

Terrance narrowed his eyes as he watched the two. "Weird. What happened to the other part of her?" He wondered to himself.

After taking a deep breath, Lucy went inside the portal and it close immediately afterwards.

 **~Confessional~**

 **Jude:** I believe in Lucy. I know she'll be able to win this for us.

 **~End Confessional~**

Lucy stood in closed and dimly lit room with a single light and white walls. In front of her is a mirror about her size and there is a speaker in the corner of the room. No other object and furniture can be seen. The portal behind her closed upon her enter.

"Alright, so Lucy's fear is pretty bizarre." Chris announced through the speaker. "After interviewing her parents, it's revealed that her biggest fear is herself. Therefore, her challenge is to duel against her alter self and win."

The mirror started glowing in a bright light, making Lucy shield her eyes with her arm. When it died down, another girl stood before Lucy. She had the exact same features and wore the same clothes as her, the only difference being that the other girl had red eyes and a sinister grin on her face. She is holding two energy sabres in her hands.

"Hello, Lucy." The other girl greeted. She then tossed one sabre to Lucy, which she caught.

"It's you." Lucy was both in shock and anger as she caught the sword. She gripped the handle tightly when she saw the other girl smirk at her. "But how!?"

"At last we finally meet face to face." A. Lucy waved her hand. "Normally I'd be ranting on and on about why I should permanently take control of your entire being, but I'll let my blade do the talking." She laughed hysterically.

"No, I won't let you. You don't even exist." Lucy said in a rather soft voice. "You're just an illusion of that time." She pointed her blade at A. Lucy and narrowed her eyes.

"Keep telling yourself that." A. Lucy cackled as she lunged forward. Lucy gasped as she stepped back and blocked the blow with a sweep of her weapon.

"You're not real!" Lucy said, louder this time as she desperately tried to stab A. Lucy with her weapon. The other girl just stepped to the side and tripped Lucy.

"You're not focusing enough. Are you actually afraid of me?" A. Lucy stabbed downwards and hit Lucy in the left arm which was her sword arm. "Ever since that torture happened, I finally had a voice!"

"Aaahh!" Lucy screamed as she rolled away and jumped back up. She gripped her injured arm as she weakly tried to assume a defensive stance. "No...Not yet." She took one step forward and then another, being extra careful of what A. Lucy might do next.

"I'm better than you. Way better than you." A. Lucy rolled her eyes. "It is I who should play this game, not you! Even back then, you were always too weak." She charged forward again and aimed a stab through Lucy's head. However, Lucy dodged it at the last second and drove her blade into A. Lucy's leg. "Gah..."

Lucy staggered backwards and took on a defensive stance again when she saw A. Lucy slowly stand up and regain her balance. The other girl screamed in anger and pointed her blade at her. "I won't lose. I'll send you back to oblivion where you belong!" Lucy said with conviction. She lunged again at A. Lucy aiming for her chest this time but the other girl simply deflected the blow and elbowed her chin.

"I think I'll end this now. No use prolonging this any further." A. Lucy shrugged as she reached forward with her blade and sliced Lucy's gut, finally sending her avatar out of the area.

 **~Confessional~**

 **Lucy:** I can't believe she was real. So what my parents said...was true after all. She does exist and I- *her right eye suddenly glows red* Ehehehehe.

 **~End Confessional~**

Lucy's avatar was brought back to the inside of the Red Sith outpost where everyone else was. The blue glimmering lights shone at a specific spot before forming her silhouette and afterwards the light dispersed, the silhouette forming Lucy.

"Lucy! Are you alright?" Jude immediately rushed to his girlfriend and the rest of the Cyan Protoss followed.

"Yeah, I think I'm fine." Lucy said softly. Her right eye was red but it wasn't glowing.

"What happened to your eye?" Ivy asked.

"Sore eyes." Lucy said simply. Nelly looked suspicious but shook her head.

"Well you lost which means we're up for elimination." Cyrus said harshly.

"She did her best." Tatiana pointed out. "Stop being so toxic." She glared at the emo boy but he glared back at her.

"Stop being so carefree! We lost because you guys wouldn't grow a pair! Now I don't know who to vote for because every one of you is such a viable option." Cyrus shook his head as he left the outpost and went back to their team's outpost.

"Now that the annoying one is gone, I can formally say that you guys have lost this challenge." Chris announced. "With that, Jane doesn't have to perform her phobia challenge anymore."

"Yes!" Jane cheered loudly and everyone on her team gave her a face. "I mean, good game." She cleared her throat.

"W-We won." Phoebe grinned happily.

"Finally." Sarah breathed a sigh of relief.

"Well, time to go prepare for elimination." Ivy said distantly.

"But I'm so sleepy." Tatiana yawned.

"It is late at night already." Terrance pointed out.

"Yeah I already expected this and decided that the elimination ceremony will be held tomorrow morning." Chris told the Cyan Protoss. "You have all night and in your dreams to think about who to eliminate."

"My mind is already set." Nataline said as she looked in the direction Cyrus left.

"I agree with you there." Nelly added as she sighed.

* * *

 **(Silver Terminators)**

Sarah and Arnold saw Phoebe walking outside the outpost alone, looking shaken up about something. They glanced at each other and then decided to approach the doll faced girl.

"Hey Phoebe." Sarah greeted her. "What's wrong? You look a bit stressed out."

"Oh, hi S-Sarah. H-Hi Arnold." Phoebe greeted back. "I was j-just thinking about my challenge earlier. It w-was really scary." She admitted.

"We understand. I mean, Arnold here got wrecked by another soccer player." Sarah smirked but Arnold shook his head.

"I don't find that funny. Ray is seriously getting on my nerves." Arnold said seriously which made Sarah's smile drop. "He's such a great player but he's so boastful sometimes. No wait, most of the time."

"I'm sorry." Sarah said. "But hey, at least we won."

"Y-Yeah. We don't have to v-vote someone o-off tonight." Phoebe said happily.

"It is great to hear that considering we lost twice in a row." Arnold sighed.

"Maybe our luck is finally turning around in our favor." Sarah grinned.

"I h-hope so." Phoebe agreed. "If you'll excuse m-me, I want to be a-alone for a while." She began walking away from the two.

"You think she hates us?" Sarah asked her boyfriend once Phoebe was out of earshot. "We did vote out Valerie."

"But they voted out Shane afterwards. It evens out." Arnold pointed out to her.

"Even so, we're in the minority now." Sarah sighed. "Strategy is so hard."

"But you're doing a great job, babe." Arnold assure her as he wrapped one arm around her. "We can do more strategy talks when the times comes. For now, we need to rest."

"You're right." Sarah smiled and kissed Arnold in the cheek before heading back to the outpost. "Good night, Arnold."

"Goodnight." Arnold smiled as well as he watched her go.

 **~Confessional~**

 **Sarah:** Arnold's right, I don't have to think of strategy all day and all night. Who does that? Heh, imagine if someone like Lucy does this. That would be so funny.

 **Phoebe:** It's so h-hard doing your p-phobia challenge, but I'm s-so glad I won it. If I d-didn't then Jane w-would have to g-go through hers. And if she didn't w-win, we'd risk a tie b-breaker. I hope I p-proved myself in the team. *she shakes a bit*

 **~End Confessional~**

Marvin opened the door to the boys' bedroom to find Desmond already in his sleeping outfit and lying down on his bed, looking up at the ceiling. The former went to his bed and started changing clothes too.

"Marvin? We need to talk for a while." Desmond stated. Marvin was busy untying his shoes when he said his name, so he looked up to face the other boy.

"Yes?" Marvin replied.

"I want to propose an alliance with you. Just you, me, and Phoebe." Desmond told him. "We can make the final three together, what do you say?"

"Why the sudden offer? I'm pretty sure you're aligned with Arnold and Sarah, while I'm aligned with Jane and Cassie." Marvin pointed out. "Not to mention that Phoebe is loyal to them too."

"See that's the point." Desmond turned his head to look at him. "How can you trust them to take you far and not just toss you aside? They see you as a number because they need someone to not put a target on them. They are one of the strongest physical threats here, even more so than I am."

"But you guys have Arnold." Marvin pointed out.

"I didn't say Arnold was part of our alliance deal." Desmond countered. "He and Sarah are joined at the hip, which means that their votes will always be together." He explained. "If we can vote them out, it makes our merge game much easier."

"But I wonder about your loyalty." Marvin wondered out loud. "Maybe you told this to several other people just to throw us off."

"Like who, Arnold and Sarah?" Desmond raised an eyebrow. "They'll vote me out the first good chance they get. And I can't talk to Jane about this because she got close with Cassie now."

"And the other team?" Marvin inquired.

"Terrance and Tatiana didn't talk to me much so I don't I have their loyalty." Desmond listed. "As for Nataline, it's a bit hard to read her mind sometimes. Almost as if she votes for who she wants to but her votes make sense either way."

"I'll consider it." Marvin nodded. "I have to talk to Phoebe about this of course, but I'll consider it."

"And since you're close with Phoebe, you have the upper hand in this alliance. I have to reply to my guts and my own capabilities." Desmond added.

"Like I said, I'll consider it." Marvin said as he went back to changing clothes. Desmond nodded and turned away from him to go to sleep.

 **~Confessional~**

 **Marvin:** Desmond does make a good point, but I'm not too sure about trusting him. Well it IS Total Drama so you aren't supposed to completely trust anyone here. Except, I do trust Phoebe. *he blushes a bit*

 **~End Confessional~**

Cassie was walking near the riverbank with Jane, looking over at some fishes as they went to pass the time.

"Ya are lucky ya didn't have to do your challenge." Cassie smirked. "What is your greatest fear anyway?"

"It's actually fear of holes. I don't like seeing an object with so many holes." Jane shuddered.

"Will you look at that, we have the same fear." They both turned around to see Lucina heading towards them.

"Lucina!" Cassie exclaimed as she went over to the other girl and hugged her, which she returned as well. "Ya are still here."

"Of course I am. Chris said our roles are not done yet." Lucina explained. "If I'm to take a guess, I think we'll take part in the elimination ceremony."

"'Our'? So the other two are still here?" Jane inquired. Lucina nodded and the former just sighed. "Well, this is gonna be good wakeup call in the morning."

"Yes, the other guests and I will be sleeping in the Red Sith outpost." Lucina told them as she pointed back to where they once were for the challenge. "The elimination ceremony is tomorrow morning after all."

"I actually wonder who the Cyan Protoss will eliminate." Jane wondered out loud.

"I hope it's Cyrus." Cassie tipped her hat backwards. "I really don't like that guy. Not after what he said and kept saying to Phoebe."

"I agree with you there." Lucina nodded. "It might even improve their chances of winning if they drop him."

"Hey whose side are ya on?" Cassie asked playfully.

"On yours of course." Lucina said honestly. "I'm just trying to see this in a fair standpoint."

"At least you've been helpful in Cassie's challenge." Jane grinned.

"I was kinda ashamed she might see me fail." Cassie scratched the back of her head.

"But you didn't and I'm proud of you." Lucina smiled which made Cassie blush a bit.

"It's getting late, we should head back." Jane said.

"I'll walk you back to the Red Sith outpost." Cassie offered and Lucina responded with a nod. "Jane, ya can go ahead."

"Sure thing. You guys need your alone time anyway." Jane smirked as she patted Cassie on the back before making her way back to the outpost. Cassie blushed a bit more as she and Lucina walked towards the Red Sith outpost.

 **~Confessional~**

 **Jane:** Honestly, knowing that we won't be eliminating someone tonight is good enough for me. I do wonder how I'll play the game in the merge though.

 **~End Confessional~**

* * *

 **(Cyan Protoss)**

Tatiana saw Lucy hanging around at the back of the outpost, gazing at the stars. The gamer girl went to her and called her attention.

"Hey Lucy! What are you doing out here alone? Where's Jude?" Tatiana asked her. Lucy turned to face her with her red right eye glowing.

"Why? Do I have to be with him 24/7? I can handle my own too." Lucy replied. "The phobia challenge taught me that."

"Wait, your phobia challenge was to face yourself right?" Tatiana asked. "And wait a minute, your eye is different. It's just like the-ah!" She suddenly got hit by realization. Lucy just grinned and shook her head.

"Took you long enough. Now, what should we talk about?" She asked the gamer girl in a soft voice.

"Wait but where's Lucy?" Tatiana said as she backed away a bit.

"What are you talking about? I'm Lucy." Lucy said innocently as she went closer.

"Ah! Possessed person!" Tatiana ran away from her and went back to the outpost.

Lucy just chuckled to herself as she went back to gazing at the stars. After a while, Terrance approached her.

"I saw Tatiana run away. What happened?" He asked as he raised an eyebrow and placed his hands in his hoodie pockets.

"Surely you're afraid of me too." Lucy pointed out to him. "As you can see, I'm just someone who doesn't exist but is apparently Lucy now." She said in a sarcastic tone.

"But this is the side you always showed me so why does it matter?" Terrance rolled his eyes. Lucy walked past him and tapped her foot on the ground.

"Then I guess you're in the right state of mind tonight." Lucy noted.

"Not really. I still hate my challenge. Why did Chris need to bring Kelly here anyway?" Terrance groaned.

"To mess with your head, and it worked." Lucy answered simply.

"Lucy's challenge was to duel with you and you won, that's gotta mess with her head." Terrance countered.

"You say that as if I'm a completely different entity." Lucy chuckled again. "I AM Lucy."

"So what, you're this deep and dark personality she has?" Terrance adjusted his glasses as he turned to look at her.

"The better half, might I add." Lucy laughed. "Admit it, even you want to see me in action rather than that soft voiced nobody."

"Well, yeah I guess." Terrance shrugged. "If it will help the team."

"Yes, that is the goal in the first part of this show, right?" Lucy placed a hand on his shoulder and he recoiled back. "Sorry, aftershocks?"

"Yeah." Terrance nodded.

"It's fine. So anyway, I was thinking of finally getting rid of Nataline. I'm sure Nelly would be on board with this too." Lucy told him. "Are you up for that? Oh wait, what kind of a question is that? You've ALWAYS been up for it." She grinned evilly.

"Don't you wanna vote out Cyrus first? He's being a real pain in the butt lately." Terrance sighed. "He pulls of bad pranks on people and his personality is pretty toxic, as Tatiana puts it."

"We can vote him out some other time. His personality is exactly the kind of vote shield we need for the merge." Lucy scoffed. "Tomorrow, Nataline will go home." She declared as she walked away, leaving Terrance alone.

 **~Confessional~**

 **Terrance:** Usually I was the one pushing for the votes to go against Nataline, but now it's the other way around. Maybe Lucy is right, maybe I should stick to the script and do it. But I can't shake this feeling I have. *he adjusts his glasses*

 **Lucy:** Now that I'm in control, I can finally take this game by storm. It's time I use my strategic intellect to win this game and nobody is gonna stop me! I'm the better half! I'm the better Lucy! *her right eyes glows red fiercely*

 **~End Confessional~**

Nataline and Jude were just having a cup of tea inside the outpost, having small talk.

"So who do you want to vote for tomorrow?" Jude asked her. "If you ask me, between Ivy and Cyrus, I'm leaning towards Cyrus now. Ivy may not do much in challenges but Cyrus is seriously getting on my nerves." He groaned.

"I agree." Nataline took a sip of her tea. "If we can get Cyrus out, maybe we'll..." She trailed off as she stared at her cup with a deep frown.

"Maybe we'll what?" Jude repeated. When Nataline gave no response, he snapped his fingers in front of her face before she went back to reality. "Are you okay? You were spacing out for a second there. Is Ivy getting to you now?" He joked.

"No, it's nothing." Nataline said unconvincingly as she took another sip. "What was I saying?"

"You know what, we can just talk about this tomorrow morning. You clearly need to rest tonight." Jude told her. "I don't know what happened in your challenge but it took a toll on you."

"Yeah...I guess it did." Nataline nodded and finished her tea before standing up and heading for the stairs. "You can go ahead and tell Lucy we're voting for Cyrus." She said rather distantly as she continued up the stairs and into the girls' bedroom."

"Sure." Jude tilted his head.

Just then, Kelly went inside the outpost and began taking pictures of the place.

"Whoa, this is a cool place. Why can't we live here?" Kelly groaned in frustration as she took more photos, completely ignoring the fact Jude was there in the room.

"Hey, this is the Cyan Protoss' outpost. You can't be here." Jude scolded as he stood up and proceeded to push her out.

"You can't treat me like this! I'm more popular than you." Kelly whined in protest as she kicked down on his foot. Jude yelped in pain.

"Alright, that's it." Jude grunted angrily as he roughly grabbed her arms then pushed her hard outside the outpost.

"Ow! Stop, you're gonna kill me." Kelly exclaimed in pain as she stood up and dusted herself off. "I just wanted to look inside, maybe sleep too because I technically know someone from here. That loser Terrance is part of this team, right?"

"Well for one, nobody dies in this virtual world and two, I'm pretty sure Terrance won't accept you being here. So stay out." Jude glared at her before slamming the door shut.

Kelly grumbled to herself before storming off back to the Red Sith outpost, but not before taking another glance back to take one last photo of the entire outpost.

 **~Confessional~**

 **Nataline:** I suppose I am pretty tired after that challenge. The excitement from watching other people do theirs died down and I'm left to remember what happened in mine. *she sighs and starts mumbling to herself*

 **Jude:** You know, I actually pity Terrance that he has to deal with girls like her. Now I see why he acts like that towards Nataline. I mean, not that I see a resemblance between her and Kelly but- you know what I mean.

 **~End Confessional~**

Nelly and Ivy were both in the girls' bedroom making small talk when Tatiana burst inside the room, panting heavily.

"Guys! Guys! Lucy is possessed." Tatiana exclaimed to them, waving her arms frantically.

"What the- Calm down, Tatiana." Nelly scolded her. "Nataline is trying to sleep." She pointed to a nearby bed to see Nataline still awake and staring out the window. "Oh, nevermind."

"Lucy is possessed? You mean, like demon possessed?" Ivy tilted her head in confusion. "Is that even real?"

"I'm telling you, she's so different now." Tatiana tried to explain. "Like her right eye turns red and she isn't soft spoken anymore."

"It's probably the aftershock of the challenge. I'd be shocked if I had to face myself too." Ivy said to her.

"Well you didn't even try in your challenge." Nelly scoffed.

"Some others did and they still did not win." Ivy pointed out and looked at Nataline. "But we tried and that's what matters." Nataline gave no response as she continued to stare out the window blankly, muttering to herself inaudibly.

Cyrus just stormed inside the room, glaring angrily at Tatiana. "What the hell was that!? You basically gave me an injury earlier!" He clutched an injured right arm.

"Oh sorry about that." Tatiana apologized. "I was in a hurry."

"To tell us that Lucy is possessed? Well I like how you damaged Cyrus at least." Nelly smirked and Cyrus just sighed in frustration.

'Whatever. I'm going to bed." Cyrus growled as he went to the boys' bedroom.

"Giving up so easily?" Nelly called out in a mocking tone. "Guess you're no match for Tatiana after all."

"So back to the topic, what do we do?" Tatiana tried to get everyone's attention again.

"I think we should just sleep it off. Maybe she'll return back to normal in the morning." Ivy suggested. "It's been a long night after all."

"Maybe you're right." Tatiana conceded. She then proceeded to go to her bed and took off her hat. "Who will you guys vote for?"

"That's a secret." Nelly smirked.

"I'll tell you mine." Tatiana offered.

"I'm betting it's Cyrus." Nelly guessed.

"Actually, yeah it is." Tatiana admitted. "Is that who you're voting for too?"

Nelly just shrugged in defeat. "Honestly I don't know why I bothered to even keep it a secret."

"How about you, Nataline?" Ivy turned to the noble girl, who still gave no response. "I see." She said dejectedly.

 **~Confessional~**

 **Nelly:** Cyrus is such a pain in the ass and it would suck if he stayed any longer. Doesn't take an alliance to agree on this fact.

 **Ivy:** Sometimes I wonder why Cyrus is still in this game. Perhaps he is one of those naturally hated characters but stay long because of plot armor.

 **~End Confessional~**

* * *

 **(Elimination Ceremony)**

The Cyan Protoss took their seats in the middle of the site while the Silver Terminators took their seats by the sidelines. Instead of Chris, it was Ray, Lucina, and Kelly who took the center stage. Ray held the seven space food containers for them.

"Welcome to your elimination ceremony, Cyan Protoss." Lucina started. "I heard that despite your two win streak and the hope of you doing a hat trick, you lost and therefore must eliminate someone from your team."

"Yeah, we know the drill." Cyrus rolled his eyes. "Where's Chris anyway?"

"He's sleeping, can you believe it?" Kelly rolled her eyes as well. "He said that we should take over the elimination ceremony."

"But it's around 10 or 11 in the morning." Ivy pointed out.

"He said he'll sleep in." Kelly deadpanned.

"Anyway, as I was saying, it's time we read the votes." Lucina said as she held up a piece of paper in front of her. "Since you know the drill, I'm sure you know what to do when you receive a space food container."

"Yeah, we catch it, duh." Cyrus said simply. Ray smirked as he played with a space food container.

"We'll see." The other soccer player smirked.

"Nelly." Lucina announced as Ray threw it directly at the nerd's face. It hit the mark and she was sent tumbling backwards.

"Hey!" Nelly glared as she regained her composure. Ray just shrugged.

"Terrance." The techie boy flinched as he caught his space food container in time.

"Nataline." The noble girl tried to catch it but was too distracted and fell on her seat as well.

"Jude." The marksman caught the container easily.

"Lucy." The red eyed girl dodged to the side as the container flew past her.

"Tatiana." The gamer girl easily caught hers and did a small cheer.

Ivy and Cyrus were at the bottom two. Ivy snapped back into reality and realized the situation she was in, now looking nervous while the emo writer just rolled his eyes.

"The most votes for tonight goes to Cyrus." Lucina declared.

"Wow, no pause for dramatic effect?" Jude asked.

"No need, because we know that Cyrus isn't going home tonight anyway." Kelly answered. "Cough up the Statue, emo boy." Cyrus glared at the cheerleader but stood up and gave his Invincibility Statue to her.

"Now that that's settled, I can finally announce that Ivy has been elimination, having been the person with the most votes second only to Cyrus." Lucina declared once more.

"Yeah, go home and space out there! Sheesh, you're boring to watch on tv." Kelly added harshly.

"I understand." Ivy said with a defeated sigh as she stood up and awaited the beam of light to fully charge up and take her away. "I want to say it has been a pleasure, but then I realized that I lost to Cyrus."

"If it makes you feel any better, it was only his vote that got you out." Kelly told her.

"I am still eliminated though." Ivy pointed out.

"True. Not that I care anyway." Kelly conceded.

"We're gonna miss you, Ivy." Tatiana said sadly.

"Yeah, you don't deserve this. Even if you don't really contribute much to this team." Nelly shook her head.

"Seriously, Cyrus stayed over you?" Jude sighed in frustration and Lucy just rubbed his back in consolation.

And with that, the beam of light appeared and shone down on Ivy, taking away the girl from the virtual world. "You may head back to enjoy your morning. There will be no challenge for the entire day." Lucina told the rest of the contestants.

"So scram!" Ray ordered.

"No need to be pushy." Arnold muttered angrily as he and his team stood up and left. The Cyan Protoss followed, feeling sad while only Cyrus was grinning victoriously.

 **~Votes~**

 **Nelly:** I vote for Cyrus. Surprisingly, Terrance didn't tell me who to vote for so I guess it's okay. Tatiana is on board with this too.

 **Nataline:** I guess I vote for Cyrus. I still remember that prank he pulled yesterday. I got emotional and physically drained and I seriously need a break.

 **Terrance:** As much as I want to continue to vote for Nataline, I feel like I should vote for Cyrus instead. I really don't like having him around and nor do the rest of us do. That prank he pulled seriously ticked me off, even if it wasn't me who was the victim.

 **Tatiana:** Time to vote out the toxic teammate we have here. Bye Cyrus!

 **Lucy:** Terrance approached me earlier this morning saying he'd rather vote for Cyrus today. Jude talked to me afterwards saying the same thing. I suppose I can always make my big plays next time, so I vote for Cyrus. *her right eye glows red in anger*

 **Jude:** I still remember when Lucy came to me saying that Cyrus hurt her. I am not gonna stand for this any longer! This is the chance to finally vote him out. I vote for Cyrus.

 **Ivy:** I guess it's time to vote someone out again. Everyone else seemed hyped to vote out Cyrus, so might as well.

 **Cyrus:** I'm gonna vote for Ivy and then use my Statue to save myself because I know that everyone else is gunning for me. Maybe they'll see that I voted out the weakest link and actually want to have an alliance with me.

 **~Eliminated~**

 **(24th place) Richard - The Maestro**

 **(23rd place) Delilah - The Serpent**

 **(22nd place) Felix - The Prankster**

 **(21st place) Harvey - The Chill Guy**

 **(20th place) Betty - The Phone Addict**

 **(19th place) Nicholas - The Detective**

 **(18th place) Wesley - The Blue Blood**

 **(17th place) Valerie - The Energetic Flirt**

 **(16th place) Shane - The Lone Wolf**

 **(15th place) Ivy - The Distant Cloud**

* * *

The three special guests stood at the elimination site which is now empty. They faced the camera which was now panned in on them.

"The phobia challenge was a rough ride for these worthless losers." Ray started with a smirk. "But in the end, it looks like the Silver Terminators proved that they aren't completely losers after all."

"Well I gotta agree with you there. They did lose twice in a row." Kelly nodded.

"Yes, and a hat trick from the Cyan Protoss could be dangerous." Lucina noted. "But they pulled through, and the Cyan Protoss lost Ivy today."

"Who will win the next challenge?" Kelly said to the camera.

"Who will be eliminated next?" Ray said as well.

"And why does it feel like we're not so good at making this ending?" Lucina finished as she tilted her head in confusion.

"Whatever. Just find out next time on Total..." Kelly started.

"Drama..." Ray chimed in.

"Sci-Fi..." Lucina said as well.

"SHOWDOWN!" They all said in unison as they spread out their arms. Afterwards, the camera turned off.

* * *

 **Okay I'll admit that Ivy did overstay her welcome in the game. She was originally meant to be early boot but here she is, 15th place. As someone who did nothing but space out and make a few side comments, she really didn't stand out as a relevant character and became more of a filler. The reason I eliminated her was solely for the purpose of making her a stepping stone to save the other members of the Cyan Protoss. She won't make any big impacts soon so I might as well just eliminate her before she falls under the radar when merge hits. I didn't enjoy writing her much but I'm happy with the way she turned out. She slid on by unscathed despite the drama everyone caused and it took a Statue to get her out. Wait, that means she did make a big impact on the game. Good for her! Until next time. XBloodLegendX**


	13. Chapter 13: Orb Collectors

**"Love looks not with the eyes, but with the mind, and therefore is winged Cupid painted blind." ― William Shakespeare, A Midsummer Night's Dream**

* * *

"Last time on Total Drama Sci-Fi Showdown..." Chris started as he was standing outside the Drama Dome. "The contestants faced their greatest fears in a way only a sci-fi world would put it." Kelly joined him in a rather bored manner.

"Yeah and they did stuff for the challenge." She shrugged nonchalantly.

"Be more enthusiastic, you're the acting host for this episode, you know." Chris pointed out to the cheerleader.

"Fine fine fine." Kelly groaned and rolled her eyes. "Some faced theirs bravely and others chickened out. Special guests were even forced- I mean introduced in the challenge to spice things up a bit." She forced a smile and Chris just sighed in response.

"In the end, the Silver Terminators secured a victory, breaking the Cyan Protoss' winning streak." Chris took over. "They were given the entire night to think of their vote and it looked like everyone was hell bent on voting for Cyrus the next morning."

"But they were too stupid to realize that he has an Invincibility Statue, which sent Ivy packing home instead." Kelly laughed. "You should have seen their faces!" She laughed harder.

"I'm pretty sure the viewers saw it crystal clear, Kelly." Chris said irritably. "Both teams are down to seven members each, putting them on equal footing again."

"And I'll be the host for this episode because Chris here sucks and won't do his job." Kelly retorted.

"Will Tatiana be able to get Terrance's attention without any competition?" Chris exclaimed.

"Will Marvin agree to Desmond's alliance offer?" Kelly added.

"Can Cyrus survive without his Statue?" Chris smirked.

"And will Lucy make bigger plays now that her other half has taken control?" Kelly wondered out loud.

"Find out now or in the next few episodes of Total..." Chris started.

"Drama..." Kelly said in sync.

"Sci-Fi Showdown!" They both finished in unison.

* * *

 **(Silver Terminators)**

Desmond was eating an apple by the back of the outpost when a tired Sarah approached him.

"Good morning." Sarah greeted him with a yawn.

"Same to you, but you look tired." Desmond noticed as he saw her wild hair and eye bags. "We had the day off yesterday but you look like you didn't sleep at all."

"Oh I slept alright." Sarah told him. "It's just that I've been thinking about our alliance strategy all night. I think I only got five hours of sleep since yesterday."

"I know that we're in the minority right now." Desmond nodded in understanding. "But don't stress yourself over it. We'll just have to win the next challenge and avoid elimination."

"Yeah but what if we lose!? What then!?" Sarah exclaimed in panic. "I'm the alliance leader here. I can't just let us get eliminated one by one." She paced around.

"Calm down, will you?" Desmond sighed.

"No I won't calm down! This is important." Sarah insisted.

Just then, Jane approached them.

"Oh, I'm sorry. Is this an alliance meeting?" Jane asked with a smirk as she glanced from Sarah to Desmond. "It doesn't look like it since the numbers are a bit thin." She added.

"Shut up. We'll turn this tide around." Sarah countered defiantly. "The crowd will cheer for us!"

"Well the crowd is about to be disappointed." Jane shrugged before leaving them alone.

"Arrogant piece of-" Sarah started angrily but Desmond stopped her.

"Don't let her get to you." Desmond said sternly. "The leader has to focus."

"Okay." Sarah breathed and then yawned. "Okay. I think I just need some rest for now."

"But the challenge might start soon." Desmond pointed out to her.

"Then just wake me up when it does." Sarah said dismissively as she went back inside the outpost. Desmond chuckled to himself once she was gone.

 **~Confessional~**

 **Desmond:** Sarah's alliance is doomed to fall. I hope Marvin considers my offer very well because I'm definitely going to need it when merge comes. I need to keep myself secured, not drown in a sinking ship.

 **Jane:** This is almost too easy. I didn't know Sarah was this easy to beat when it comes to strategy, and I'm not even one for doing that kind of stuff. Desmond really chose the wrong allies.

 **Sarah:** *she yawns* Is strategy always this tiring? I know Arnold said that I should take it easy and not think about it unless its necessary, but I want to be a great alliance leader like I am as a band leader.

 **~End Confessional~**

Marvin and Phoebe walked around the forest area, hand in hand.

"The team owes you again for winning us that last challenge, Phoebe." Marvin praised the doll faced girl as they reached the clearing in the woods.

"W-Well, it was nothing really." Phoebe said meekly. "I w-was only confident when y-you guys started cheering for me. I g-guess that made me realize h-how much I'm needed to win it."

"You're a valuable asset to this team. Just because you're not physically strong like the others doesn't mean you're useless. Shane is strong but he got voted out." Marvin pointed out to her as they looked at the colorful birds nearby.

"But it w-would still be nice to help in physical c-challenges." Phoebe said softly. "M-merge is coming up soon."

"You're right." Marvin agreed. "But we have a strong alliance, don't we? We'll be fine." He said the last part a bit distantly as he looked away.

Phoebe tilted her head as she tugged on his arm. "You look l-like you're thinking o-of something."

"Yeah, actually." Marvin conceded as he turned to face her again. "How would you like to make a final two deal with me?"

"A f-final two d-deal?" Phoebe stuttered out in surprise.

"Think about it, we need each other in order to survive the merge." Marvin explained, looking around to see if anyone was eavesdropping. "Jane and Cassie may be our allies, but they are both strong and can easily win invincibility challenges."

"S-So what you're saying is…" Phoebe trailed off but her expression indicated that she knew what he was going to say.

"We should eliminate them at the best time." Marvin said finally with a sigh. "I know they're your friends, but I'm trying to think for the both of us. We'll never stand a chance if they continue to play."

"But w-we're in an alliance with them." Phoebe pointed out with a frown. "We can't d-do that to them. And Jane a-also saved you during the last elimination we w-were in."

Marvin looked taken aback by that statement. He started pondering for words before nodding to himself. "I know I owe Jane for saving me, so we can at least keep them around until sometime in the merge."

"Voting o-off our allies is s-sad." Phoebe said sadly.

"I know, Phoebe. But it's the only way for us to stand a chance at winning." Marvin told her. "They have their strength, so we need to use our intelligence to win."

"That m-makes sense." Phoebe nodded in understanding. Marvin sighed again but gave her a confident smile.

 **~Confessional~**

 **Marvin:** I'm simply looking out for the both of us. Phoebe has been trying so hard to make it far in this game, so I don't want it to go to waste just because of a couple of challenge threats, allies or not. That reminds me, I'm also going to need a plan to take out the challenge threats in the other team. I could always consider Desmond's final three offer, but I'm not so sure about that just yet.

 **Phoebe:** I'm going to l-leave it up to Marvin to m-make the strategy for us, but I-I'm surprised he considered voting o-off our allies. I mean I k-know it's going to happen s-someday, but he looked like he isn't g-going to hesitate. Should I t-tell Jane and Cassie a-about this?

 **~End Confessional~**

Arnold was eating a heavy breakfast inside the outpost with Cassie.

"Ya sure are eating a lot." Cassie noted. "Getting gluttonous after a win?"

"Shut up." Arnold growled. "I can't let Ray get the better of me. That's all."

"Still pissed off from last time?" Cassie asked.

"You don't get it. You have Lucina there and she was more of a benefit than a disadvantage." Arnold said bitterly as he kept eating.

"But we won in the end, right?" Cassie pointed out.

"It's not enough. I'm a physical asset in this team so I have to always be at top shape. As team captain of the Green Bolts, the same thing goes." Arnold explained as he got more food.

"Relax, Jane and I are still here ya know." Cassie countered as she drank some water.

"We're on opposite alliances. When we lose, it's a different thing for Sarah and I." Arnold sighed and drank as well.

"But we're still on the same team." Cassie pointed out. "I want to win as much as y'all do."

"Then all the more reason I should pick up my game." Arnold went back to eating. "We're teammates, not allies."

"It's all because y'all wanted Phoebe gone." Cassie glared at him. "She won us the last challenge and yet ya still gunning for her to go."

"It was Shane's and Desmond's idea." Arnold rolled his eyes. "Sarah just had some sort of theory behind it which is why I was agreeing to it in the first place."

"What theory?" Cassie narrowed her eyes at him.

"Nothing important." Arnold said dismissively as he finished his food. He stood up and left the outpost.

"Something's fishy here." Cassie said to herself as she watched him leave. She turned back and noticed that there was only one pixel cube on the locked door. "I really wonder what's behind that door there."

 **~Confessional~**

 **Cassie:** Arnold is definitely someone to keep tabs on. We're on opposite alliances but he's a really good player in challenges. I've watched a couple of soccer games so I can only imagine the kind of skills he has on the field. Maybe we should eliminate him before merge? I don't know. I've never been good at this strategy stuff.

 **Arnold:** The only real way for me and Sarah to make it to the merge is to make sure we win every challenge until then. I know it's not easy since the Cyan Protoss were able to win twice in a row but we won the phobia challenge which isn't a physical challenge at all. We might still have a chance to turn the tides around.

 **~End Confessional~**

* * *

 **(Cyan Protoss)**

Nelly woke up to find Lucy changing clothes in the bedroom. She noticed the other girl's right eye which was color red. For a moment it glowed and Nelly widened her eyes.

"That isn't sore eyes at all." Nelly sat up suddenly and pointed and accusatory finger at Lucy. "What's wrong with your eye!?"

Lucy sighed and turned to fully face her with confidence in her gaze. "I don't actually know what this eye means, but what I do know is that you're not talking to the old Lucy."

"The old Lucy?" Nelly repeated. "What do you mean by that?"

"It means that I'm a whole new personality separate from what you know of Lucy." Lucy said simply. "You're a nerd, you can understand that."

"Well yeah I do understand it, but it's still freaking bizarre." Nelly pointed out. "Even if it IS virtual reality."

"Now you're probably wondering how much better I am than that soft spoken good for nothing girl, right?" Lucy smirked. "Well for one, unlike her, I have a proposal for you."

"Really?" Nelly raised her eyebrow. "You're the girlfriend of Jude and the friend of Nataline. Why should I trust you?"

"Because you'll need me for a clear majority." Lucy explained. "Unless of course, if you're willing to trust Cyrus."

"He'll be the next one gone." Nelly said immediately. "We don't have to talk about anything."

"And once he is, what next?" Lucy asked her.

"We're taking out Nataline." Nelly told her. "She's rich so she doesn't have any real reason to compete."

"What you say is true, but you're thinking of the short term and the worst case scenarios." Lucy said matter-of-factly. "This is under the assumption we lose two challenges in a row, since I'm pretty sure the merge will start once we're half the cast. What happens to your strategy when we do reach it?"

"Well that's..." Nelly was at a loss of words for once as she looked away. Lucy walked closer to her and held her chin.

"Listen to me, you're going to be at a disadvantage if you continue this line of strategy." Lucy said seriously. "If you do as I say, I can guarantee you'll get far in the merge. You and Terrance, that is."

"Wait, Terrance is in on this?" Nelly asked in disbelief.

"Yes. How else was Wesley eliminated?" Lucy grinned evilly and Nelly gasped in shock.

"What!? You helped him do it?" Nelly's eyes widened. "Well if he's in and I guess I'm in too. Not much options with such few people on the team."

"There's still Cyrus." Lucy laughed and Nelly just groaned.

 **~Confessional~**

 **Lucy:** This is perfect. I'm basically in two alliances now. This means that both Tatiana and Cyrus are useless to me. Except that I can still use Tatiana's feelings to get me far. The question, is how?

 **Nelly:** Damn it, Lucy makes such a good point and it's stressing me out. She was just a soft spoken girl who did not much on the team. Now she's basically running the whole team from behind the scenes. I'm pretty sure no one will believe me if I tell on her and I can't risk going home this late in the game.

 **~End Confessional~**

Jude saw Terrance and Tatiana heading towards the direction of the Red Sith outpost and decided to go over to them.

"Hey guys, where are you going?" The marksman asked as he caught up.

"We forgot some things back in the old outpost and we're just gonna get it." Tatiana answered and Terrance rolled his eyes.

"He doesn't have to know that, Tatiana." The techie boy said.

"But he's our teammate. What if challenge starts and we don't know about it?" Tatiana pointed out.

"Fair point." Terrance conceded. "I still think it's a bad idea to go now. Kelly might be there."

"What's with you and her anyway? It's obvious you both don't like each other." Jude noted.

"She's a cheerleader in our school. A popular one, of course." Terrance told them as they continued walking. "I remember that most of the nerds and geeks in the school get bullied by her and her team a lot."

"That's awful. The cheerleaders in my school are very nice." Tatiana frowned.

"Almost all my bad memories there are simply because of them in general." Terrance sighed as he adjusted his glasses.

"Well I got your back if we do see her there." Jude patted Terrance's back. "I know we don't talk much and you probably hate me because I spend time with Nataline, but I hate bullying. If Kelly is gonna be difficult, then might as well respond properly too."

"Yay! A three man mission and the party is ready." Tatiana cheered as she pointed ahead. "Onward, troops!" The other two chuckled at her cheeriness as they continued going there.

 **~Confessional~**

 **Jude:** Last challenge, Kelly was the special guest for Terrance's phobia challenge and she was so annoying! To think that we had to watch it from the outpost and that we couldn't do anything to help him is sick. I even recall seeing Nelly pace back and forth with an angry face, muttering to herself as she watched. Bullying really sucks and it takes the joy out of every school experience. I wonder why people even do it but I'm not psychologist or something.

 **~End Confessional~**

After a few minutes, they made it to the door of the Red Sith outpost. Jude went first and knocked on it, and Ray opened the door with a frustrated expression.

"Oh it's the losers from last challenge. What do you guys want?" The other soccer player said irritably.

"We're just here to get something we left behind. We won't be long." Terrance answered as he narrowed his eyes at Ray.

"Wait, is it this?" Ray went back inside for a while then emerged again, now holding a hexagon-like item. It glowed in multiple colors depending on the side they look at, and seemed to have two cords sticking out of it.

"Yes, that's the one!" Tatiana exclaimed and reached over to grab it but Ray pulled it back out of reach.

"Who said I'm gonna give it to you?" Ray snickered. "No way am I gonna give something for free to a bunch of losers."

"Watch it." Jude came up to his face as he opened the door wider. Ray did the same with similar confidence. "We just want the item."

"And I'm saying that you're too weak to take it from me." Ray retorted. "How about this? I'll give this to you if you win the next challenge. If you don't, then you can forget about ever taking this back."

"Hey that's not fair! We-" Terrance was interrupted when Tatiana stepped forward and placed her hands on her hips with confidence.

"We accept the challenge!" The gamer girl exclaimed. "We'll win that from you or my name isn't Tatiana the Chocobo Slayer!"

"Are you crazy? He doesn't even have the right to keep it." Terrance told her. Tatiana just shook her head.

"But it's fun to accept the terms. It's like a game." She reasoned.

"Well this is a virtual world so this is technically one big game." Jude agreed. "Alright, we'll do it. We'll win the next challenge for that item."

"You're seriously going to help us?" Terrance turned towards the marksman.

"I told you that I have your back and I still do. Ray is just as bad as Kelly anyway. Plus we're still a team." Jude explained.

"Hey what do you mean I'm as bad as Kelly? That cheerleader is pretty good, you know." Ray pointed out.

"You would know." Terrance muttered under his breath which only Jude heard and he snickered as well.

 **~Confessional~**

 **Terrance:** Seriously, is Tatiana always like this? Well anyway, it looks like I'm doubling my efforts in this next challenge just for that one thing we need for the next thing we're gonna invent.

 **Tatiana:** I always like to see things as some sort of game. It makes it more fun to do and gives me motivation to do it. Like, I compete with my sister whenever we do house chores to see who can clean it the most by the end of an hour. The winner gets more pizza when mom brings home a box or two. See? It's fun!

 **~End Confessional~**

Cyrus was busy searching for something in the living room when Nataline passed by after going to the bathroom.

"Come on...There has to be something..." The emo writer muttered to himself in frustration as he searched under a couch but cursed when he found nothing.

"What are you looking for? Your earring?" Nataline raised her eyebrow.

"I'm looking for anything to write on and a pen or pencil or something." Cyrus gave a huge sigh as he sat down. "I haven't wrote down anything for like a week now or something."

"And that bothers you so much?" Nataline shook her head. "Maybe there will be writing materials in the resort when you lose." She smirked.

"Don't make me laugh." Cyrus glared at her. "I'll outlast you, and get some inspiration from your humiliation. Hey that rhymed."

"Please," Nataline scoffed. "Nobody likes you. You may have had an Invincibility Statue to save yourself, but it's gone now. This next vote should be unanimous."

"I can turn the votes around. People are bound to vote with me after what I did to get Ivy out." Cyrus said confidently.

"What?" Nataline asked, confused by his statement.

"I voted the weakest link we have. You saw her in the phobia challenge, immediately backing out like that. I eliminated her so that she won't hold back the team anymore." Cyrus explained. "I'm playing strategically, so people are bound to keep me."

"That's nonsense. Next to her, you're the most useless one here." Nataline countered. "They'll definitely see that."

"Nelly said something similar and it's seriously getting old." Cyrus sighed. "Maybe I should push for you to go." He grinned evilly.

"I have an alliance. What do you have?" Nataline challenged.

"Whatever." Cyrus just grunted as he stood up and brushed past the noble girl.

 **~Confessional~**

 **Cyrus:** Okay so now I gotta find a way to vote out Nataline. Or maybe I should go focus on another target? Damn it, this is difficult and without my Statue, my chances of staying here is slim.

 **Nataline:** Cyrus is making desperate attempts to throw me off guard but it isn't going to work. He doesn't have an alliance and nobody likes him. The vote is obvious and he knows it as well, just too prideful to admit it.

 **~End Confessional~**

* * *

Kelly's hologram appeared in the living room of the two outposts, looking bored and unmotivated but she is holding her pom poms.

"Attention everyone." She said in a bored tone. "Go and meet me in the Red Sith outpost again like the last challenge. Obviously it's because your next one is located there too."

"She does not sound like she likes this job." Marvin wondered out loud from his team's outpost.

"I mean she and the other guests were literally just supposed to be guests." Jane said. "I'm wondering why they are still here."

"I s'ppose that means I can see Lucina again." Cassie grinned.

"Seriously, when are they going to leave?" Nelly groaned from his team's outpost.

"We have to win this challenge, whatever it may be." Jude said as he narrowed his eyes at Kelly's hologram. Nataline glanced at him and then thought to herself.

"This should be fun!" Tatiana cheered.

After some time had passed, the contestants were all gathered once again outside the Red Sith outpost. Kelly, Ray, and Lucina were all standing and waiting for them, and there was a large portal also in the area.

"Finally. Took you guys long enough." Ray grunted.

"It is a rather long walk from here to their outpost." Lucina said to the other soccer player.

"Then why didn't they run?" Ray rolled his eyes.

"That would use up their energy that could otherwise be used for the challenge." Lucina pointed out in a calm manner.

"Shut up, both of you! I'm trying to host here." Kelly interrupted as she waved her pom poms at them.

"Why are you hosting? Can't you let Lucina do it?" Ray turned towards the cheerleader.

"We are going to be part of the challenge, that's why." Lucina told him. "Kelly will be the acting host for now."

"That sucks." Terrance muttered under his breath.

"For once, I agree with you." Nataline added.

"What's your role in the challenge?" Cassie asked Lucina.

"I cannot say at this moment, sorry." Lucina apologized with a shake of her head.

"W-Where is Chris?" Phoebe asked no one in particular.

"Nobody cares, Phoebe." Cyrus retorted harshly.

"Shut up already so I can explain the challenge!" Kelly demanded as she glared at everyone which got them to be quiet. "Okay so I'm only going to explain it once so you better listen up. Past that portal is the battlefield for your challenge. The challenge is to collect colored orbs scattered around the field. Red ones give one point, green ones give two points, and blue ones gives three points. Got it?"

"Sounds easy enough." Jude shrugged.

"But there's a catch." Kelly smirked. "Ray and Lucina will be stopping you from collecting those orbs."

"What? How?" Jane asked.

"You'll find out later." Kelly said dismissively at her. "The challenge is over when all the contestants have been wiped out."

"So they're going to kill us off in order to prevent us from collecting more orbs?" Lucy clarified. "But that means they have weapons."

"Yes and you guys don't." Kelly told her. "All you guys will have is armor that will help you sustain more damage."

"We can't use our assets then?" Tatiana frowned. "That's not fun."

"Maybe not for you, but it is for us." Ray grinned. "Let's get started already."

"Be patient because they may still have questions." Lucina pointed out. Kelly scoffed.

"Well I don't care if they do." The cheerleader declared as she pointed at the portal. "Hurry up and get in!"

The contestants obeyed and one by one, they entered the portal while Kelly was the last to enter. Ray and Lucina remained behind.

"Guess we should gear up." Ray shrugged as he went back inside the outpost as Lucina followed him.

When the two teams emerged on the other side of the portal, they were already wearing a light alloy suit and a helmet with a transparent front so their faces can be seen. The field around them was that of a ruined city with debris and fallen buildings all around them. There is no other sign of life except for themselves.

"I don't remember putting this on." Desmond noticed the suit he's wearing.

"Magic of science I guess." Sarah shrugged. Nelly heard this and scoffed in a disapproving manner.

"So there are still some people who put magic and science in the same sentence." The nerd sighed.

"Shut up." Arnold glared at Nelly. "You're just trying to get in our heads, what with us being faster than all of you." He bragged.

"Hey, I'm in this team." Jude interjected.

"And just because I don't have my chocobo doesn't mean I'm slow." Tatiana added. "We'll win this game as a team!"

"B-But we have t-teamwork too." Phoebe defended. Jane glanced at her and shook her head. "O-Oh."

"We're the physically stronger team." Desmond said. "You should double your efforts."

"If you guys are the physically stronger team, then why did you lose the challenge before the phobia one?" Lucy smiled as her right eye glowed red in a sinister way.

Desmond flinched as he couldn't think of a comeback. Cassie stepped forward and cracked her neck.

"Good luck y'all. May the best team win." The rancher girl said as she turned away from the Cyan Protoss and faced front, seeing Kelly standing there now.

"Glad that you all hate each other." The cheerleader laughed. "Now, we begin in 3...2..." She counted down while holding her pom poms high above her.

Jude and Nataline took the front of their team as they leaned forward in a running start position. Cassie, Jane, and Arnold did the same for their team as they all glanced at one another.

"...1! Go!" Kelly ordered as she let down her pom poms. Both teams took off running and began searching for the orbs.

* * *

Jane, Marvin, and Phoebe went together as they searched in a street with broke down vehicles.

"There's gotta be one here." Jane muttered as she opened car doors.

"This is a likely place to put a couple of orbs." Marvin agreed.

Phoebe opened a car door and saw a green orb inside. She grinned as she took it.

"I f-found one." She exclaimed to the other two.

"Good work, Phoebe." Jane gave her a thumbs up as she kept searching.

"I found one too." Marvin held up a red orb. Just then, both Phoebe's orb and Marvin's orb dispersed in flickering lights. "What?"

"Oh, I forgot to tell you that the orbs disappear after you grab them. Lucina insisted that you guys shouldn't have to carry them as you go." Kelly voice boomed around them like a distant echo.

"Well that's convenient. Thanks, Lucina." Jane called out to no one in particular. She then found a red orb inside a phone booth. It disappeared after she grabbed on to it.

"Let's keep going and-" Marvin was cut off as a an explosion happened behind him, knocking him forward as car parts flew. Phoebe got hit by a couple and fell down as well.

"E-Eeek!" The doll faced girl exclaimed in shock as she and Jane looked towards where it had come from. On top of a nearby building was Ray, holding down a soccer ball with his left foot. The ball seemed to glow brightly.

"It's Ray!" Jane growled.

"Sup. I'm here to stop you and all that junk." Ray shrugged with a small chuckle as he kicked the ball beneath him, sending it crashing down on Marvin just as he was about to stand up. Smoke covered the area and when it cleared, Marvin's avatar was gone.

"M-Marvin!" Phoebe covered her mouth as she backed away fearfully.

"Run, Phoebe!" Jane commanded and the doll faced girl snapped back to reality and ran in the opposite direction of the broke down cars. Jane decided to head straight for it instead and parkoured over the vehicles, dodging the next shot Ray sent.

"Hold still." Ray sneered as blue lights shone beneath him and formed another ball which he kicked, sending car parts flying towards Jane but the latter dodged it as well.

"You're too slow." Jane laughed as she went out of range.

"Damn it." Ray cursed as he pressed a button on the new bracelet he is wearing and his avatar flickered out of the area.

 **~Confessional~**

 **Jane:** So that's how they're gonna stop us. Well as someone who knows how to survive in both the wilderness and the city, this should be easy.

 **~End Confessional~**

* * *

Terrance, Jude, and Tatiana were together as a group, moving from alley to alley in search of orbs. Currently, only Jude had gotten a green orb.

"Let's search around here." Jude suggested as they came up at a park, now with withered down trees and plants, broken benches, and a dried pond.

"I wonder how Lucina and Ray are supposed to stop us." Tatiana wondered out loud as she searched a patch of dried grass.

"If I know this game, it definitely has something to do with making our avatars flicker out of the challenge again." Terrance adjusted his glasses as he searched the dried pond and found a blue orb. "Hey I got one." He took it and it dispersed afterwards.

"I'm glad you found that out." Lucina said and the three Cyan Protoss members whipped their heads around to see the special guest standing on the other side of the park, wearing light armor and an open helmet. She is holding a plasma rapier in her right hand. "You're correct. Our job is to make sure you don't acquire any more orbs."

"Go on without me, guys." Tatiana ordered as she stepped forward to block Lucina's path. "I'll stall for time while you gather more."

"Are you sure? I can be the one to do it if you want." Jude offered as he stepped forward as well but Tatiana held out her hand to stop him.

"But you got a good eye." Tatiana pointed out. "We need that to win this challenge."

"She's right so let's go." Terrance urged as he started to run away from the park. Jude glanced towards Terrance and then at Tatiana before nodding to the gamer girl and then following the other boy.

"You will stay and fight? How brave." Lucina remarked with a nod as she entered the fencing position. Tatiana held her ground firmly as she smiled.

"Yeah! There is no way you can beat me in melee combat if that's what you're using." Tatiana said confidently as she took on an offensive stance.

"We shall see. En garde!" Lucina lunged forward and got the gamer girl by the shoulder. The latter flinched back but managed to grab Lucina's wrist and pull her forward, making her imbalanced and fall on the ground, face first.

"Hah!" Tatiana grinned and went to deliver a low kick at the other girl. Lucina rolled out of the way and jumped back up before doing an advance lunge, catching Tatiana by the gut now. "Gaah!" The gamer girl yelped in pain as she moved away to lengthen the distance, staggering back while clutching her side. Lucina continued her attack and stabbed directly through her chest, making her avatar flicker out of the challenge area.

"She should have tried her luck at running away." Lucina muttered as she touched a button on the side of her helmet and her avatar flickered out as well.

 **~Confessional~**

 **Tatiana:** *she is pouting* Well how should I know she was a master fencer?

 **~End Confessional~**

* * *

Arnold and Desmond searched together inside an empty hotel lobby. Neither boys have found an orb yet and so they started moving things around to thoroughly check it.

"Orb...Orb..." Arnold muttered to himself as he looked under a couch. To his surprise, there was a blue one underneath. "Got one!" He exclaimed as he held up the orb before it disappeared from his hand.

"Same here." Desmond told him as he checked around the receptionist area and held up a red orb. It dispersed as well.

"And I got another one. Dude this is easy." Arnold said arrogantly as he held up another red orb from behind a potted plant, which dispersed.

"So what do you think of our chances at winning?" Desmond asked him as they went up the second floor. "Do you think we can win this?"

"Of course we can." Arnold looked at him weirdly. "We just have to think positive and give it our best shot!" He exclaimed.

"Maybe you're right." Desmond sighed. "It's just that I can't shake this feeling that losing again would make things messy for us. I just need to do my part to make sure we don't go to elimination tonight."

"I admire your optimism and your resolve." Lucina said from behind them as they were walking down a hallway. "But I'm afraid it ends here. En garde." She pointed her rapier at them and prepared to lunge. Both Desmond and Arnold moved out of the way when she did. Lucina did a short feint and then stabbed Desmond in his side, sending him staggering to the side.

"Go and keep searching in the rooms." Desmond ordered. "Get as many as you can because we won't last long here." He said in between pants as he regain his balance and dodged another blow from Lucina.

"Got it." Arnold ducked inside one of the rooms but found no orb. By this time, Lucina lunged again and Desmond retaliated by crouching then tackling her to the ground.

"Not so fast." Lucina said as she activated the electric shock in her suit. Desmond got electrocuted as his body made contact with her suit. He twitched and spasm for a few moments before his avatar dispersed.

Arnold was searching in another room when Lucina blocked his way out.

"Darn it. I wasn't finished here yet." Arnold groaned as he turned around and saw her.

"Don't worry, you won't be searching around for long." Lucina told him as she did an advanced lunge. Arnold quickly stepped back and saw the broken window beside him that leads down below.

"Well I can still escape you by doing this-" Arnold made a break for the gap and jumped off from the second floor and down to the ground. He landed with a hard crash and struggled to get up.

"That was ungraceful." Lucina remarked as she jumped down after him, placing her foot on a small ledge in the wall and using it to lessen the fall's impact as she landed on her feet. She strode to where Arnold lay down on his stomach, groaning in pain. She calmly stabbed through his chest and made his avatar disappear.

 **~Confessional~**

 **Arnold:** That could have gone better. *he rubs his back painfully*

 **Lucina:** I fail to see how that could have gone better.

 **~End Confessional~**

* * *

Cyrus, Lucy, and Nelly were all walking together to search for orbs by the ruins of an apartment. Cyrus had recently found one red orb while Lucy found one green orb.

"Ugh, remind me again why we have to travel with you?" Nelly groaned as she glanced at Cyrus with disdain.

"Lucy said that the more the merrier." Cyrus shrugged. "But I feel the same way, because why would I consider travelling with a nerd like you?"

"I know you're trying to sound like a mean and cool jock, except yours is less intimidating and overall pretty pathetic." Nelly retorted.

"And I didn't say 'the more the merrier', I said that we would have a better chance at finding the orbs if we remain as a group." Lucy explained irritably. "Honestly, I hate you too, Cyrus."

"I miss the old Lucy." Cyrus rolled his eyes. "The old Lucy would just speak softly and just mind her own business."

"Well you're gonna have to get used to the new and improved one." Lucy smirked arrogantly.

"And it's not like your personality is any better either." Nelly pointed out to Cyrus.

"I'm used to being insulted like that." Cyrus waved his hand at her dismissively as he walked ahead. Nelly was about to make a comeback when she saw a blue orb hiding behind some pillows by the bed.

"There's one over there." Nelly went over to grab it.

Lucy looked out the window and saw Ray atop another apartment across from it, preparing to kick a charged soccer ball in their direction. "Look out!" She warned Nelly.

It was too late, however, since the ball soared right towards where Nelly was and exploded, making her avatar flicker out just before she could even touch the orb. The bed got destroyed but the orb remained unharmed, now rolling across the floor to which Cyrus picked it up and made it disappear.

"Got the points." Cyrus told Lucy as he made his way out of the apartment.

They made it out and found Phoebe running towards them as well.

"Is that Phoebe?" Lucy squinted her eyes.

Ray dropped down from the apartment he was in and calmly walked towards them while dribbling the ball.

"Hey, look who else dropped by." He noted as Phoebe came to a stop.\

"Y-You're here already?" The doll faced girl looked shocked at his appearance. She then took notice of the other two with her. "Lucy a-and Cyrus, it's you guys."

"No shit." Cyrus deadpanned.

"Good, the more you guys are, the easier this gets." Ray smirked as he pressed down on the ball with his foot.

"Oh yeah?" Lucy's right eye glowed red as she suddenly tackled Ray. He was caught off guard and stumbled backwards with her.

"I w-wanna help." Phoebe stepped forward but was a bit afraid.

"Then you can help." Cyrus snickered as he went behind the doll faced girl and tripped her, before running away.

"Eek!" Phoebe said in shock.

"Get off me, you piece of-" Ray cursed as he pushed Lucy off him then stood up, kicking the ball right in her chest.

"Oof.." Lucy said in pain as she was knocked back, her armor cracking as well.

"H-Hey, that's wrong." Phoebe said timidly as she got up.

"I don't care." He said simply as he kicked another ball at the doll faced girl, which exploded and made her avatar flicker out completely.

"Not showing mercy to even little girls, huh?" Lucy remarked as she slowly got up. "Looks like Cyrus got away. Typical coward."

"You're one to talk. That persona of yours is pretty weak, if you ask me." Ray glared at her. "Acting soft and then using visual effects to act tough by making your eye do...that." He pointed at her right eye.

"I don't know how it does that." Lucy shrugged honestly. "But I can tell you that this was always me. The real me." She growled and charged at him again, albeit a bit slower due to the injury. All Ray did was deliver another kick to a newly formed ball towards her. This fully broke her armor and made her avatar disappear.

"Sometimes I wonder why girls bother acting tough when they're so weak." Ray rolled his eyes as he remarked to himself.

 **~Confessional~**

 **Ray:** To those girls offended by what I said, come at me and show me what you got. Actions speak louder than words, you pathetic feminists.

 **~End Confessional~**

* * *

Cassie and Sarah were walking down another street when they saw Jane run up to them in a hurry.

"Howdy, Jane." Cassie greeted.

"No time! We have to keep moving." Jane told her as she grabbed her arm and began running down an alley. Sarah looked confused by followed them anyway.

"What's up? And weren't you with other people?" Sarah noted. "I remember seeing Phoebe with you."

"We got separated and right now we need to find more orbs quickly." Jane glanced over her shoulder at Sarah before continuing to run.

"What's the big hurry? Is it Ray and Lucina?" Cassie asked.

"Yeah, we encountered Ray earlier and they're gonna stop us by killing off our avatars one by one." Jane answered as she panted. "That's why we have to keep searching while we still have time."

"Well I got a green orb earlier so I'm being helpful." Sarah smiled.

"It was on a ledge and I still gave you a boost." Cassie pointed out.

"Right." Sarah laughed sheepishly.

"Well we let's go find more and-" Jane stopped as she saw a red orb by the trash bin. "Here's one." She grabbed it and made it disappear.

They began running again and soon ended on another street. They saw Nataline, Jude, and Terrance up ahead, with Nataline picking up a green orb.

"It's the Cyan Protoss." Sarah exclaimed, a bit too loud. The other team turned around and saw them.

"Looks like we all decided to gather here then." Jude smirked as he stared down the other team.

"Not to mention there's only three of you left." Nataline added.

"Shut up. There's more of us. Just. Around." Sarah insisted unconvincingly. She then lowered her voice into a whisper to her teammates. "Right?"

"Marvin was eliminated but I don't know about Phoebe and the rest." Jane shrugged.

"Jude, you have to go ahead and find more orbs for us." Terrance told the marksman. "We'll make sure they don't pass."

"You know that's what Tatiana said earlier right?" Jude pointed out to him. "I can help you instead."

"But we might be the only people left. We have to make the most of it." Nataline said. "I say we all avoid them and go our separate ways."

"What, and risk getting caught by Ray and Lucina?" Terrance retorted. "Jude should go alone. He's strong and has good eyes. He'll be fine."

"The other team will overwhelm us in a short time." Nataline pointed at the three Silver Terminator members.

"Are they arguing or something?" Sarah squinted their eyes at them.

"I guess teamwork isn't their strong suit after all." Cassie tipped her hat forward and shook her head.

"You'll be surprised how one little argument can soon change everything about them, Cassie." Lucina's voice came from behind the Silver Terminators.

"Lucina?" Cassie's eyes widened as they turned around and saw the fencer standing there, her blade pointed at them and her face neutral.

"You guys better make up your mind fast or none of you will settle for any game plan." Ray smirked as he appeared behind the Cyan Protoss members.

"How did you-?" Jude said in shock as everyone from the team turned to see the other soccer player standing there, hitting the ball with his kneecap.

"I love being one of the admins." Ray laughed as he kicked the ball towards them in a straight line. Everyone from the Cyan Protoss managed to moved to the side in time, making the ball go ahead and landed on the ground near the Silver Terminators. It exploded which sent their members scattered about.

"Aaah!" Sarah said in pain as she fell to the ground, her armor showing cracks.

"What!?" Jane tried to find her footing but tripped and landed hard on the ground.

Lucina charged forward at Cassie while the latter was stunned and stabbed her arm. Screaming in pain, the ranch girl used her other arm to grab Lucina's wrist and fling her away. The fencer gracefully landed and prepared to lunge again.

"So I finally see you fence, huh?" Cassie said weakly as she backed away.

"Are you impressed? I wanted to learn this since I was little." Lucina told her as she lunged again.

Meanwhile, Ray was preparing to hit the ball another time but Jude did a slide tackle and managed to catch him off guard, stealing the ball in the process.

"You guys should go! I think I saw more orbs down the street." Jude pointed ahead of him. Terrance got up painfully and nodded, then began running to the place he pointed at.

"Godspeed, Jude." Nataline nodded to the marksman as she followed the techie boy.

Sarah and Jane saw this and glanced at each other. "You thinking what I'm thinking?" Jane asked.

"Yep. Let's rock." The rocker girl sprinted down the street, chasing after the Cyan Protoss members while Jane took one last glance at Cassie fighting Lucina before following her.

"You're faster than usual." Lucina noted as she feinted and lunged but Cassie dodged to the side.

"Must be my time here, ya know." Cassie laughed a bit before dodging another blow and delivering a low kick, to which Lucina back flipped away to avoid.

"But will it be enough? You should be out looking for more orbs, yet you're here and locked in combat with me." Lucina gave a small smile. Cassie blushed a bit.

"Hey, I like our time together. Also..." Cassie spread out her arms to indicate that her teammates aren't there anymore. "They decided to abandoned this fight for the challenge." Lucina noticed this and narrowed her eyes, before beginning her assault again.

"You think you can beat me!? Huh!?" Ray glowered as he called forth another ball and kicked it at Jude, which he narrowly dodged. The shock was enough to send him off balance, but he managed to kick the ball he stole earlier right at the other boy's chest. "Tsk!" He fell backwards but his avatar didn't flicker out. "What a weak kick."

"Well sorry for not being good at this soccer stuff. I only do archery." Jude frowned as he got back up on his feet.

"So you're only good with your arms and eyes." Ray raised his eyebrow and then smirked. "Guess that means you don't stand a chance against me without the right tools." He kicked another ball in his direction which caught him by the legs, making him fall backwards and cracking the armor on the leg part.

"W-Well...At least I'm doing a good job buying some time." Jude smirked back then used the last of his energy to get up and punch him in the face. Ray widened his eyes before receiving the hit and stepping back.

"Why you-" The other soccer player pushed Jude away then kicked a ball directly at his face, cracking his helmet and soon his avatar disappeared.

Meanwhile, Cassie was clearly losing energy and started catching her breath.

"Are you tired, Cassie? At least you held out long enough." Lucina said before lunging one last time at her, stabbing her through the stomach.

"Gahh...Well, ya won this one...Lucina." Cassie smiled at the other girl before her avatar faded away in blue lights.

"It was a good fight." Lucina said softly to herself before facing Ray. "Come on, we need to give chase."

"Yeah." Ray nodded and the two of them went down the street and after the ones who escaped them.

 **~Confessional~**

 **Cassie:** So Lucina can handle herself like that, huh? It may be a virtual world but her skills are pretty cool. *she blushes a bit*

 **Jude:** I just hope Terrance and Nataline win this for us. I wonder how the others are doing, because I really want to know our score right now.

 **~End Confessional~**

* * *

Nataline and Terrance went to search for more orbs and came across one on top of a car. It was a red orb and Nataline snatched it before running again.

"You think we're in the lead?" Terrance adjusted his glasses.

"I think we're about to lose it if we don't keep going." Nataline answered as she glanced behind her and saw Sarah and Jane gaining on them. "They're faster than us after all."

"Don't worry, I have a plan. It's obviously better than whatever it is you're thinking right now." Terrance smirked.

"I wasn't even thinking of one yet." Nataline pouted.

Meanwhile, Jane and Sarah were giving chase while searching around for more orbs but found none.

"Why did they go here if this place is empty?" Sarah wondered.

"Maybe they took it already." Jane answered. "Hurry up and tackle them down so we can bait Ray and Lucina into getting them."

"Nice plan." Sarah grinned and they both ran faster towards them. Just then, they saw Terrance and Nataline go opposite directions, with Terrance going left and Nataline going right. "What? What are they doing?"

"Who cares!?" Jane snapped. "Just follow one."

Sarah looked back and forth for a long moment before finally deciding to follow Nataline. Jane went left to chase down Terrance. who ducked down in a short dark alley.

"You won't escape me, Terrance." Jane smirked as she started to close the distance.

"We'll see." Terrance grunted as he ran through the alley. Jane was about to duck in as well but then she saw a blue orb among the black trash bags and decided to get it first.

"Nice." She praised herself as the orb dispersed in blue lights. She looked back at the alley and didn't see Terrance anymore. "What? Where did he go?" She looked on in confusion before continuing her way down the alley.

She looked around the dark path as she walked, making sure she didn't trip over the trash bags and bins around her. Not noticing Terrance stick his foot out ahead of her, she tripped and fell forward.

"Ah!" Jane screamed. Terrance emerged from the darkness and stepped on her as he ran ahead.

"Sorry, nothing personal." The techie boy called out as he left her there.

"Well at least he improved since last time." Jane groaned with a smile as she got up and started to run again.

Meanwhile, Sarah gained on Nataline and was about to jump at her but the other girl saw this and moved to the side, making the rocker fall down.

"Darn it." Sarah cursed as she banged her fist on the ground then stood up.

"Watch your language." Nataline giggled and ran again, seeing a red orb and picking it up in the process.

"That was supposed to be mine." Sarah pouted as she chased after her again. This time, she staggered to the side when she felt a rock hit the side of her helmet. "Hey!" She whipped her head to the source and found Cyrus standing in the distance with another rock in his hand.

"Hey yourself." The emo boy snickered as he threw it at her, cracking the glass of her helmet and making her stagger back more.

"Stop that!" Sarah yelled and charged towards Cyrus instead, the latter being shocked by the sudden action and got pushed back hard. He landed against the open window of a car and got stuck. "Ha!" She laughed at his misfortune.

"Thanks, Cyrus." Nataline nodded to the boy with a smirked as she went ahead.

"Well don't leave me here!" Cyrus screamed but Nataline didn't listen. Sarah gave chase which left him alone. "Great. Just...great." He groaned.

After a while, Lucina passed by and saw Cyrus stuck in the car.

"Are you stuck? Do you want me to help you out?" She asked him.

"Yes please now just do it. My back hurts." Cyrus sighed. Lucina nodded and went towards him but didn't help him out. Instead, she brought out her sabre and calmly stabbed him through the chest. "Agh..." Was all he said before his avatar started flickering out.

"There, I helped you out." Lucina said with a small giggle. Cyrus just glared at her before he completely disappeared.

 **~Confessional~**

 **Cyrus:** Seriously? And they say I'm the mean one.

 **~End Confessional~**

* * *

Terrance turned at an intersection and down another road when he saw a red orb atop a pile of debris. He also saw Nataline come up from the other side.

"There!" He pointed at it. "Grab that!"

"I got it." Nataline said as she made a beeline for it. However, a figure leaped high into the air from atop a building and landed in front of her, revealing to be Ray.

"Not so fast." He growled and kicked a soccer ball at her. She tried to block with her hands but it still pushed her back further away from the orb.

Terrance saw this and grunted. "This is bad." He ran faster but someone pulled him back by the hood of his hoodie and he tripped.

"Nothing personal." Jane smirked as she ran past him. However, Lucina came out from an alley and made her stop dead in her tracks. The fencer pointed her blade just inches from her helmet.

"Sorry but I won't let you pass." Lucina said calmly.

Sarah arrived at the scene and stopped a few meters away after seeing all of them. "Whoa, major party going on here." She remarked.

Nataline glared at Ray and muttered something in Belorussian before charging at him and knocking him to the side.

"What the-" Ray said in surprise as he was knocked to the side and lost control of his next ball. Nataline stole it and quickly kicked it towards his face, makinga small explosion and stunning him.

"Almost there." Nataline said to herself as she climbed up the debris.

Meanwhile, Jane had ducked down to avoid Lucina's high lunge and sweep her feet off the ground. The fencer fell and the other girl kept moving forward to climb the debris as well.

"Not yet." Terrance adjusted his glasses with a scowl as he made his way forward again and grabbed Jane by the ankle, trying to pull her down.

"We're not gonna lose!" Sarah exclaimed as she finally joined the scene and began throwing rocks at Nataline, slowly her progress.

"Hey, stop that!" The noble girl ordered to no avail. Sarah used this time to close the distance and begin climbing as well.

By this time, Lucina had already stood up and lunged at an unsuspecting Terrance, making the techie boy's eyes go wide as he felt a stinging pain through his chest. His grip on Jane's leg loosened and was soon gone when his avatar flicked out in blue lights.

"Finally." Jane sighed in relief as she began climbing up again.

"Meanwhile, Ray snapped back into reality then called forth another ball, to which he aimed at Sarah and kicked it immediately without activating the explosion command. The rocker girl was too busy climbing to notice the incoming ball, and was soon knocked out by it.

"Gahh!" Sarah exclaimed as she fell hard to the ground, the force being strong enough to knock her avatar out of the challenge.

"I'm not gonna lose." Nataline said to herself as she doubled her efforts to try to catch up to Jane.

Both girls are neck to neck as they neared the highest point of the debris and towards the red orb. Ray grunted as he called upon another ball and allowed it to charge up for the maximum explosion effect. Lucina saw what he was doing and decided to stay where she was.

"Fire it, Ray." The fencer ordered.

"Not yet." Ray grunted as the ball glowed brighter and brighter.

Jane and Nataline were at the top now and saw the red orb sitting there. They glared at each other before reaching out to grab it. Ray shot the ball at them the moment their hands were close to the orb. The entire top pile of debris was blown apart by a brilliant explosion, affecting both girls and sending their avatars out of the area. When the smoke cleared, the red orb was nowhere to be found.

"One of them got it." Lucina concluded as she confirmed that the orb was not there anymore.

"Then Kelly knows who won. Let's go back. I hate this dump." Ray said as he pressed the button on his wrist bracelet which made his avatar flicker out. Lucina pressed the button on the side of her helmet for the same effect.

* * *

Ray and Lucina returned to the Red Sith outpost to find Kelly and the contestants gathered around by the large blue hologram.

"You're just in time. We're gonna see who won." Kelly told them.

"Cool." Ray remarked nonchalantly.

The blue hologram showed the scene where Jane and Nataline both grabbed for the orb. Kelly commanded it to play in slow motion to see whose hand touched it first. They saw that just before the explosion happened, Nataline's index finger touched the orb followed by her middle finger before Jane's index finger touched it.

"Yes! We won!" Tatiana suddenly cheered.

"Well that was random. But yes, you guys are today's winners I guess." Kelly shrugged indifferently.

"No way. We lost again." Arnold sighed in frustration. "But it was a good team effort."

"Y'all did your best and so did I. We can get 'em next time." Cassie tried to encourage.

"What are you talking about? You all sucked." Ray chuckled and the Silver Terminators glared at him, which made him raise his hands in mock surrender as he left the outpost with a smirk.

"Jerk." Sarah scoffed under her breath.

"Well he's not wrong there, and you know what happens when you lose, right?" Kelly raised her eyebrow at them. "Elimination site. One hour. Go!" She ordered and everyone filed out of the outpost.

"Perhaps you were being too cruel. They did their best." Lucian reasoned with Kelly once they all left.

"But degrading will help them get better. That's what coach said." Kelly shrugged as she prepared to leave.

"I still don't agree with you." Lucina sighed as she walked out of the outpost.

"Well you're not the acting host, now are you?" Kelly called out before she left.

* * *

 **(Cyan Protoss)**

Tatiana roamed the forest area with her mecha chocobo when she saw two figures by the clearing. It was Lucy and Terrance talking while sitting down on the bench there, their backs facing Tatiana. The gamer girl stopped and tried to listen in on their conversation.

"Looks like we still have time to plan the votes." Lucy remarked. "Good." She grinned evilly.

"What's your plan now?" Terrance asked.

"The same. We vote out for Nataline when we get the chance. That WAS always the plan, right?" Lucy narrowed her eyes at him. "You were the one who dodged that plan in the first place."

"Well that's because Cyrus was getting on my nerves." Terrance argued back.

"And so what!?" Lucy snapped which made him widen his eyes. "We need to play more logical if we want to win. Cyrus holds absolutely no power in this game. None! My statement still stands that he should go home in the merge."

"If we win the next challenge, we'll be taking both of them to the merge." Terrance pointed out.

"You sound like it's such an ideal situation for you." Lucy noticed. "What's wrong? Lost your anger?"

"Not really." Terrance looked away. "Okay maybe a little. Nataline and I worked together in the challenge and that went well. I can't say the same for Cyrus."

"Then you're dumb." Lucy spat.

"Hey! Don't call him dumb!" Tatiana suddenly burst forth, riding her chocobo and pointing accusingly at Lucy. "Terrance isn't dumb." She defended with a pout.

"Were you eavesdropping?" The techie boy asked her.

"Don't listen to her, Terrance. This possessed girl is gonna eat your soul." Tatiana roughly grabbed Terrance's hood and pulled him up the chocobo. The techie boy helped himself get in but wore a confused look.

"What do you mean?" Terrance asked in disbelief.

"This girl is unbelievable." Lucy rolled her eyes.

"You're unbelievable! You're telling him to do what you want. It's like you're seducing him or something, and you have Jude so why would you do that!?" Tatiana accused.

Lucy just blinked and then shook her head in disbelief and began walking away. "If that's what you want to believe." She left them alone. Tatiana immediately ordered her mount to turn back and take her and Terrance away from the forest area.

"We were just talking about strategy." Terrance tried to reason. "I even wanted to put you in it."

"We can be in one party, but she can't be in it." Tatiana insisted. "She trapped the real Lucy and took over her body."

"But she's a part of Lucy." Terrance explained.

"No she isn't. The Lucy we know is kind and soft spoken." Tatiana frowned as they made it out.

"Fine." Terrance just sighed.

 **~Confessional~**

 **Tatiana:** There is no way I'll let Terrance get corrupted by that witch! That was the only thing I was focusing on the whole time I was eavesdropping. He'll definitely thank me for that later and maybe notice me. *she blushes*

 **Lucy:** It's his choice if he doesn't want Nataline gone sooner. I know it's a good idea because I can't risk her getting more allies from the other team. Not to mention that there's a possibility of there being returnees this season.

 **Terrance:** Honestly I don't know what just happened. I hope Tatiana didn't hear the part where we were talking about voting off Nataline since she's her friend. Actually, I hope she didn't hear that whole strategy talk.

 **~End Confessional~**

Jude saw Cyrus sitting on a large rock outside their outpost, muttering to himself.

"What, you've gone insane now?" Jude smirked as he approached the emo boy. "Maybe you should eliminate yourself and just relax at the resort."

"Shut it, I'm only trying to remember the inspirations I get." Cyrus glared at the marksman.

"You get inspired by what? Being the worst?" Jude rolled his eyes. Nataline left the outpost and found them.

"What's going on here?" The noble girl asked.

"This guys was muttering to himself earlier." Jude laughed.

"He was also looking for something earlier this morning." Nataline added.

"None of you would understand real inspiration anyway." Cyrus scowled. "You both have no artistic vision."

"Artistic vision? You?" Nataline raised her eyebrow.

"Yeah, I do have one. It involves you losing horribly later on." Cyrus spat.

"He's making threats. But honestly, I'm sure he knows how screwed he is." Jude shrugged towards Nataline, who nodded in response.

"I agree. He told me that he played strategically and specifically voted out Ivy to help the team." She looked towards Jude.

"He should have used his vote to take one of us out. Might have helped him more." Jude gave a condescending grin.

"I swear, I'm going to get you both for this." Cyrus grunted under his breath.

"Hey, is there an issue going on here?" Nelly joined the scene and glanced at everyone else.

"Just some unnecessary bullying." Cyrus answered nonchalantly.

"Ironic that you say that despite the prank you pulled on me last time." Nataline glared at him.

"It was funny. Nelly laughed too." Cyrus pointed at the nerd girl. "So did Terrance."

"But then I told you I still hated you and I'm pretty sure Terrance stopped laughing first." Nelly rebutted.

"He did?" Nataline looked surprised. "I thought he'd be laughing for hours."

"Don't ask me." Nelly shrugged. "I just saw him stop then leave the table."

"Well anyway, we won so it's no use talking as if we're gonna vote you out tonight." Jude sighed as he began to walk away.

"Hey you're the one who started the argument." Cyrus called out angrily as Nataline and Nelly shook their heads and left him alone too. "I hate these people..." He grunted to himself.

 **~Confessional~**

 **Nataline:** Looks like I just confirmed my assumptions that nobody really likes Cyrus. *she smirks*

 **Jude:** Okay so maybe I did bully Cyrus a bit and I'm so sorry for that, it's just that I feel like he deserved it and all.

 **Nelly:** I may not like Jude and Nataline much, but Cyrus really takes the cake. A part of me wishes we lose the next challenge so that we can vote him off, but the other part of me just wants to listen to Lucy and see what she has to say.

 **Cyrus:** The people here are hellbent on getting me eliminated, so I hope we don't lose the next challenge as well. *he sighs*

 **~End Confessional~**

* * *

 **(Silver Terminators)**

Jane and Phoebe were eating dinner inside the outpost in silence. None of them wanted to start a conversation mostly because of their loss.

"So..." Jane cleared her throat. "Who are you voting for tonight?"

"D-Desmond." Phoebe answered simply. "Marvin told me t-to consider voting for h-him tonight."

"Well I guess we can vote for him tonight." Jane shrugged. "He's in the opposite alliance so it only makes sense."

Phoebe nodded and was about to say something else when Sarah went downstairs from the girls' bedroom and went over to them.

"Guys, before you decide on who to vote tonight, you all should know that Marvin is playing two alliances. Desmond told me that he and Marvin are in a final two deal." Sarah glanced from Phoebe to Jane.

"And how sure are you about this?" Jane narrowed her eyes.

"I saw them talk at the back of the outpost. They were talking a bit loudly and I had the window open." Sarah explained.

"M-Marvin would never betray me like t-that." Phoebe said defiantly. "You m-must be lying." She accused in a timid voice.

"What? Phoebe, I'm your friend. I would never do that to you." Sarah looked taken aback.

"But you're on a different alliance, one that wants Phoebe gone for being weak." Jane reminded her. "I'm sure Phoebe knows that."

"W-Well.." Phoebe stuttered out as she glanced from Jane to Sarah, both glaring at each other now.

"Hey guys, what's up?" Arnold exclaimed as he entered the outpost. He felt the tension in the atmosphere and tilted his head. "Uh, what's happening?"

"She's accusing me of being a bad person." Sarah exclaimed.

"I'm just saying that your alliance wants Phoebe out. Seeing as how you're a part of it, it doesn't take a genius to know you think the same." Jane argued back.

"Actually, she's the one who keeps insisting that we don't vote for Phoebe." Arnold told Jane as he stood beside his girlfriend. "She's the leader of our alliance anyway."

"They didn't actually have to know that." Sarah pointed out to him.

"Oops." Arnold said with regret.

"Well anyway, I'm being honest here. Desmond and Marvin are up to something." Sarah insisted.

"M-Maybe you're right." Phoebe glanced towards Jane for support, who shrugged in response.

"We'll look into it ourselves. The choice is still ours." She said.

"Fine." Sarah grumbled as she stormed outside and Arnold followed.

 **~Confessional~**

 **Jane:** I still don't fully believe her story so I'll go see what Cassie thinks of all this first. Phoebe can go talk to Marvin.

 **Phoebe:** Marvin w-wouldn't betray me, r-right? Right? *she looks around anxiously*

 **Sarah:** I didn't actually see them and that was all a lie. But I'm really desperate to try anything right about now. It's almost elimination time so they wouldn't have time to chat.

 **Arnold:** I wonder if saying that Sarah is our leader made her a potential target. Nah, that's impossible. She's too awesome to be eliminated.

 **~End Confessional~**

Marvin was walking alone down the riverbed, thinking to himself.

"The ceremony is about to start soon and yet nobody wants to talk about strategy." He pondered out loud. "Is it because they're tired of doing this?"

"Maybe they are simply disheartened. Everyone gets that sometimes." Lucina approached him suddenly.

"Oh, hey Lucina." Marvin greeted. "Have you seen the others?"

"Just Desmond. He asked for a favor." Lucina explained. "He told me to tell you that if you already made up your mind about his offer, he wants you to vote for Cassie with him."

"Cassie? Why her? And why are you telling me this if you are her friend?" Marvin asked.

"I'm part of the host team, which means I cannot be biased." Lucina said matter-of-factly. "I cannot show favoritism while I'm here, although personally I wish Cassie would win, of course. But this is besides the point, which is why I told you how Desmond is voting."

"Well thanks for the information. I still need to know who else are targets before i cast my vote, but time is running short." Marvin sighed.

"Walk with me." Lucina began walking down the riverbed. Marvin tilted his head in confusion but followed her anyway. "You play as the strategist for Phoebe's sake as well, right?"

"Yeah, that's right." Marvin affirmed with a nod. "I'm not strong and not too social. But I can at least try to play smart."

"It's good you know your limits. It may help you in the long run." Lucina told him. "But remember this, not everyone thinks as you do. Total Drama is a game where people with different personalities clash to see who is the greatest. You may find your grand scheme ruined by just the simplest of slip-ups."

"Thanks for the insight. I just wish things would go smoothly for me." Marvin sighed as the walked more.

They soon saw Cassie sitting down cross legged, playing a tune from her acoustic guitar as a few animals gathered around her to watch her play.

"That's the only thing you can do, wish things would get better despite the hardships." Lucina told the boy. Cassie's tune started going louder and faster.

"Then it's my job to make sure I make it through the merge with Phoebe, and eliminate those in my way, even my allies." Marvin said the last part in a slight whisper. More animals gathered around to watch Cassie play.

"Be prepared, because you are no the only strategist in this game." Lucina pointed out. "Play your cards right, and maybe you'll yield good results." Cassie's reached the climax of her song as the strumming became faster and more intense.

"Then I know who to vote tonight." Marvin declared just as Cassie did one final note that scared the animals off with its intensity and volume. The ranch girl turned towards them, surprised to see them standing there.

"Howdy, y'all!" She tipped her hat forward.

 **~Confessional~**

 **Marvin:** I hope this works. I need to make sure the merge is set for me and Phoebe.

 **~End Confessional~**

* * *

 **(Elimination Ceremony)**

The members of the Silver Terminators sat down in the center seats in the elimination site while the Cyan Protoss sat at the sidelines. In front of them were the three special guests, Ray, Lucina, and Kelly. Ray was holding the space food containers while Kelly held the paper which contained the votes.

"Alright, so welcome to your last day in this game and blah blah blah." Kelly said in a bored tone. "Silver Terminators, you guys are such losers and so you need to vote someone off and hopefully be less losers." She shrugged.

"Try to be nicer." Lucina scolded.

"No promises." Kelly rolled her eyes. "Time for me to read the votes and for Ray to throw those things at your heads."

"Couldn't have said it better myself." Ray smirked as he readied a container.

"Phoebe." The doll faced girl cowered in fear as Ray threw a container at her, which Jane caught to save her as she glared at the other soccer boy.

"Arnold." He deftly caught his container.

"Jane." She caught hers easily too.

"Marvin." The boy wasn't able to catch his and was knocked back.

This left Sarah, Cassie, and Desmond in the bottom three.

"Okay, so each of you has received at least one vote." Kelly announced. "But the sucker who is safe is...Desmond!"

Desmond sighed in relief as he got his container.

"What?" Sarah looked surprised.

"This is bad, y'all." Cassie tipped her hat forward lowly.

"And the final container goes to..." Kelly paused.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

"...Sarah!" Kelly announced.

"W-What!?" Phoebe was in shock.

"Cassie...was eliminated?" Jane's mouth was agape.

However, the ranch girl simply smiled and Lucina gave a small smile as well.

"Sorry but I ain't goin' anywhere." Cassie declared as she fished out her Invincibility Statue and handed it to Lucina.

"Well look at that. Guess the real loser tonight is you, Sarah." Kelly declared.

"But why!? Why would you guys vote for me?" Sarah glanced at everyone in her team as Arnold stood up and hugged his girlfriend tightly.

"Yeah, Sarah didn't do anything to you guys!" Arnold added.

"Well technically the majority of the team voted for Cassie so it's not really your fault." Desmond pointed out.

"Shut up! I wanna see you get eliminated just so you know how it feels." Sarah snapped while hugging Arnold back. "Win this for us, baby." She whispered to him.

"I will." Arnold whispered back as Sarah pulled away. The beam of light started charging up above her.

"Any last words or whatever?" Kelly asked nonchalantly.

"I just wanna say, rock on guys!" Sarah tried to sound optimistic as she pumped her fist in the air. Arnold followed suit.

"Yeah!" The soccer player cheered. The beam of light shone down on the rocker girl and her avatar was taken out of the virtual world.

"You can go now because I'm too damn sleepy to continue." Kelly said dismissively with a yawn. Everyone stood up and began to file out.

"I wonder who voted for me though." Cassie noted to Jane as they walked back together. Lucina looked towards Marvin and he glanced back at her with a neutral expression on his face.

 **~Votes~**

 **Cassie:** I vote for Desmond because he doesn't like Phoebe to be here which I can't accept.

 **Phoebe:** Jane t-told me to switch the v-vote to Sarah, so I'll do it.

 **Marvin:** I vote for Cassie just as Desmond said. If she stays any longer, it's just going to ruin my game.

 **Jane:** I'm voting for Sarah now. If we can take out their leader, then their alliance would be scattered.

 **Desmond:** I'm going to have to vote for Cassie, since she is more social than Jane. That way, it gives me more opportunities to make more allies.

 **Arnold:** Babe says we're voting for Cassie since Desmond suggested it. Got no problems with that actually.

 **Sarah** I vote for Cassie and I really hope this works. *she sighs*

 **~Eliminated~**

 **(24th place) Richard - The Maestro**

 **(23rd place) Delilah - The Serpent**

 **(22nd place) Felix - The Prankster**

 **(21st place) Harvey - The Chill Guy**

 **(20th place) Betty - The Phone Addict**

 **(19th place) Nicholas - The Detective**

 **(18th place) Wesley - The Blue Blood**

 **(17th place) Valerie - The Energetic Flirt**

 **(16th place) Shane - The Lone Wolf**

 **(15th place) Ivy - The Distant Cloud**

 **(14th place) Sarah - The Rocker Girl**

* * *

The special guests remained at the elimination site.

"Well this is our final night here." Lucina remarked.

"So let's actually do this right this time." Ray groaned.

"Okay, I'll begin" Kelly declared. "Despite their last victory, the Silver Terminators faced defeat again and Sarah got eliminated."

"The numbers are thinning, and the merge is near." Lucina said as well.

"Who will win the next challenge?" Ray spread out his arms.

"Who will have the greatest control when merge comes?" Lucina spread out her arms.

"And who will b e the next unlucky sucker? Find out next time on Total..." Kelly started.

"Drama..." Lucina chimed in.

"Sci-Fi..." Ray said as well.

"SHOWDOWN!" They said in unison.

* * *

 **I once expected that Sarah would be good for the merge, but then I realized that she would make the biggest impact as a late pre-merge boot instead. This is because her line of strategy failed and so did her alliance, but I didn't feel like Desmond and Arnold's story was about to end sooner than Sarah's so it's time I let her go. She was fun to write since she and Arnold are the first couple in the game. I personally feel indifferent to her character but she made a few impacts on the game. Sorry to all the Sarah fans, but like she said, rock on! XBloodLegendX**


	14. Chapter 14: Escape from the Spaceship

**"If you knew what was going to happen, if you knew everything that was going to happen next—if you knew in advance the consequences of your own actions—you'd be doomed. You'd be ruined as God. You'd be a stone. You'd never eat or drink or laugh or get out of bed in the morning. You'd never love anyone, ever again. You'd never dare to." - Margaret Atwood, The Blind Assassin**

* * *

"Last time on Total Drama Sci-Fi Showdown..." Chris started as he was inside the Drama Dome beside the large colored hologram. "The two teams collected different colored orbs in a ruined city, hosted by the three special guests that were featured in the phobia challenge." The hologram showed full body portraits of Kelly, Lucina, and Ray.

"Lucina and Ray acted as the main obstacles for the teams to face, hounding them at every turn to stop them." He continued as the hologram now showed Lucina and Ray in their outfits from the last challenge.

"One by one, they fell. It got even more intense when the final red orb was spotted by Terrance and Nataline from the Cyan Protoss, and Sarah and Jane from the Silver Terminators." The hologram showed the debris with the red orb on top of it. "Both Nataline and Jane reached for the orb, but the former's hand claimed it first and secured the Cyan Protoss' victory."

The hologram now showed the elimination site as well as full body portraits of Cassie and Sarah. "With Sarah being desperate, she tried to sway the votes away from her and anyone from her alliance by causing turmoil on Jane's alliance. However, this didn't work, but Desmond made plans to put Cassie on the chopping by telling Lucina to pass on the vote plan to Marvin. Though the majority votes were for the ranch girl, Cassie's Invincibility Statue saved her and caused the rocker girl to take the fall."

Chris spread out his arms in a dramatic fashion. "We're getting close to the merge so the competition is getting heavier. Will the minority alliance within the Silver Terminators fall apart completely? Will Desmond manage to get Marvin on his side? What is Marvin's strategic plan? Can Tatiana make Terrance notice her and save him from Lucy's clutches? Can Cyrus still save himself from further elimination ceremonies? Find out now or in the next episodes of Total...Drama...Sci-fi Showdown!" He finished with a flashing smile.

* * *

 **(Cyan Protoss)**

Tatiana and Terrance were walking alongside the mecha chocobo by the riverbank. The techie boy only had his right hand inside his hoodie pocket this time.

"Why can't you show it now?" Tatiana whine as she pointed at his hidden hand.

"Because it's not ready yet." Terrance adjusted his glasses. "Good thing Ray actually gave back the item."

"See? He can be nice too." Tatiana smiled.

"Actually, Jude was with me and his glare and the cracking of knuckles made Ray surrender it." Terrance explained.

"Oh." The gamer girl's eyes widened as she blinked.

"But don't worry about it. It didn't get violent." Terrance assured. "I can't wait for the next challenge."

"Me too. I hope we win again." Tatiana beamed. "We really owe one to Nataline."

"Hey, I helped with that." Terrance frowned. "I pulled Jane down to give her time you know."

"Yeah, I know." Tatiana giggled. "Nice support."

"Whatever." He rolled his eyes. "Oh yeah, we didn't check out the door in the outpost. It should be unlocked by now."

"So that's what was missing." Tatiana snapped her fingers. "I felt like we were missing something when we left to talk a stroll."

"Maybe they opened it already." Terrance shrugged but Tatiana pulled his arm and headed back towards their outpost.

"Well I don't wanna miss it. Maybe it's treasure or money or something that will help us win the next challenge." Tatiana listed.

"Or maybe it's the path to Richard's bedroom." Terrance snickered.

"Who?" Tatiana tilted her head.

"Richard. You know, that guy who was the first boot." Terrance reminded her.

Tatiana just shrugged in response and Terrance groaned. The mecha chocobo squawked and nuzzled against the gamer girl to which she giggled and rubbed its head.

 **~Confessional~**

 **Terrance:** I hope my new invention works. Merge is near so I need to be really prepared to win the challenges there. I'll basically be facing off against eleven other people by then.

 **Tatiana:** I didn't wanna make any moves yet since I figure that it's too early for that, so I'll just be friendly as always. But seriously, who's Richard again?

 **~End Confessional~**

Jude, Lucy, Nelly, Nataline, and Cyrus all stood in front of the door which used to have three pixel cubes, now gone.

"I've stayed up all night wondering where this leads." Jude remarked.

"Yeah because I could hear you murmur late at night sometimes." Cyrus rolled his eyes.

"I wonder if it's all just one elaborate trap Chris set for us." Lucy narrowed her eyes at the door. "It's Chris after all."

"But it has to be something rewarding, right?" Nataline glanced at her. "We won three challenges, each of them making one cube disappear. Maybe it's a leisure room for relaxation."

"You think Chris will hand that freely?" Nelly scoffed. "Give me a break. He'll never do something that nice."

"See? Someone agrees with me." Lucy grinned.

"Well I'm opening it." Jude declared as he stepped forward and grabbed the knob. "It's just a door that leads somewhere. What harm can be done?"

"In case your thick Asian head forgot, we're in virtual reality." Nelly retorted. "Anything bad can happen in a whim."

"Nerds." Cyrus muttered under his breath which gave him a slap from Nelly. "Ow!" He rubbed his sore cheek as he backed away, scowling.

"Well it's whatever. Not like we're literally gonna die anyway." Lucy shrugged.

"Then by all means." Nataline motioned to Jude for him to open the door. The marksman gave one nod before opening the door.

The other side had nothing save for a long metal bridge lighted up by small cyan neon lights. Everywhere else is nothing but a dark void, and the only other thing left is a pedestal by the end of the bridge. Before the path is a sign with the message in digital form.

Jude began to read it aloud for everyone to hear. "Man desire what they envision, all secrets must be told. You seek the key for your ambitions but fate still has its hold." There was a pause.

"...Is that it?" Cyrus asked.

"Yep." Jude nodded as he turned to look at his teammates. "That's it."

"Man desire what they envision, all science must prevail." Nelly repeated.

"One shall rise with their ambitions, and make other kneel and hail." Nataline finished.

"Sounds like a cryptic message alright." Lucy affirmed.

"Sounds like we should avoid it." Jude glanced towards the pedestal over on the other side. "What if it's just really an elaborate trap?"

"Maybe Chris is screwing with us and if we go there, we'll be eliminated instantly." Cyrus shrugged.

"Then you go. You're expendable." Nelly gave an amused scoff. "Nobody cares if you get eliminated or not."

"Ugh. Fine then." Cyrus grunted in frustration as he stepped forward inside the room and walked on the bridge. As he stepped foot on the platform, the door suddenly closed and locked itself, leaving him alone inside. "What the hell?" He said in slight surprise.

Meanwhile, those outside looked shocked as well.

"Did he just get locked in?" Nataline asked as she reached for the knob and tried to turn it. Upon contact, an electric shock emanated from the door knob, shocking and prompting her to let go. "Gah!"

"Welp, he's stuck." Nelly shrugged indifferently as she walked away. "Guess we gotta tell Chris about this. Who knows, it might save us the trouble of having to sit someone out."

"Even if that's true, we don't know what he's doing in there." Lucy pointed out. "What if he really is getting benefits from that room?"

"Why are you so worried? It's Cyrus." Jude glanced back at the locked door. "It's not like he can use whatever's in there to steamroll us in the merge, assuming he makes it that far."

Lucy narrowed her eyes at the door then sighed. "Maybe you're right." They all walked away from the door and went to mind their own business.

 **~Confessional~**

 **Lucy:** I can't get this feeling off my chest that something good is about to happen to Cyrus.

 **Nataline:** So will he really be there and miss the challenge? Not that I'm complaining, I'm just trying to clarify.

 **Jude:** Cyrus not being present in the next challenge doesn't matter. I'm here, and so is basically everyone else who can pull their own weight. He really won't last much longer in this game.

 **Nelly:** I do actually wonder what he's doing in there. I want to think that maybe it's a reward room, but now that Cyrus is locked in, I'm hoping it's a torture room of some sort. *she shrugs*

 **~End Confessional~**

Cyrus walked to the middle of the room and stood in the pedestal.

"There's nothing in here." He grunted. "What a waste of time."

"Waste of time?" A monotonous feminine voice rang around the empty room and through the void beyond. "You are about to receive knowledge to assist you in this game and you call it a waste of time?"

"What? Who are you?" Cyrus whipped his head around but saw no one there.

"I go by many names in this reality, Cyrus. But you can call me Marietta." The voice answered in the same state of tone. "Now, what is it you would like to learn about? You have three questions to ask me. Use them wisely."

"This is interesting." Cyrus admitted as he began to think and tap his foot. "How about this, what is this next challenge about?"

"The next challenge will be about escaping a spaceship." Marietta answered simply. There was silence. Cyrus tapped his foot impatiently.

"Well is that it?" Cyrus asked impatiently.

"That is what the challenge is about." Marietta answered. "That is what you asked. Now you have only one question left."

"You've got to be kidding me!" Cyrus raised his arms in frustration. "I have to be specific?" He widened his eyes when he realized what he just said, or rather, asked.

"Yes." Marietta answered him again. "And now you have no more questions to ask. You already used up your three questions."

The door out of the room clicked, signifying it to be unlocked again. Cyrus looked dumbfounded as Marietta gave a slight giggle.

"It is alright, Cyrus. Perhaps next time you visit, you would ask smarter questions. Farewell for now." Marietta said then there was silence. Cyrus tried calling out to her but no response came. He banged his fist on the pedestal in anger.

 **~Confessional~**

 **Cyrus:** Really? That's all I got? After winning three challenges and unlocking the door, this is what happens!? Ten bucks says my teammates are gonna give me hell for this. *he sighs*

 **~End Confessional~**

* * *

 **(Silver Terminators)**

Cassie was playing her guitar on a large rock by the riverbed just like she did last night. A couple of animals watched her play and Jane is seen walking to where she is but stopped and listened when she saw her play.

"So that's her hobby." Jane said quietly to herself as Cassie reached the near climax of the song. She watched the animals surround the ranch girl. "I wish I can play instruments." Sighing, she noticed that Cassie had reached the final notes of the song and stopped.

The ranch girl turned around and saw Jane standing there, giving her an awkward wave.

"Howdy, Jane. How long have ya been standing there?" Cassie asked as Jane joined her on the rock.

"Only to see the last few parts of the song. But it was impressive." Jane praised.

"Do ya play any instruments back home?" Cassie asked her as she patted her guitar.

"Not really. I've never been any good with them." Jane admitted. "I tried playing the piano, the violin, the harmonica, heck even the triangle. My music teacher told me to just give it up."

"Well shucks." Cassie frowned slightly. "That's too bad. Wanna try playing my guitar? It's old and a bit worn out but the tune is still alright." She handed her the guitar but Jane refused.

"It's alright." She chuckled. "I'll just stick to what I do best, being the greatest at survival and doing physical work in general."

"Ya wanna come over to my place when this is over? I remember there's a forest near our barn where it's usually off limits." Cassie suggested.

"You sure it's okay there? It could be watched by the government." Jane pointed out. Cassie only laughed.

"Naw, it's the plants and animals." The ranch girl assured. Jane smirked.

"Sounds like a challenge." Jane nodded.

"Right now I just wanted a break from this whole game." Cassie stared down at her guitar. "After Sarah's elimination, I kinda knew that merge would be coming soon. I guess I just wanted to relax for a change."

"I don't want to sound arrogant, but we are in a pretty good position with our alliance." Jane remarked.

"That's not what happened last night." Cassie pointed out and sighed. "I got the most votes. What happened?"

"I honestly don't know." Jane frowned. "Me and Phoebe voted for Sarah."

"I actually voted for Desmond. I thought we were gonna get him out." The ranch girl looked confused.

"Oh right, I forgot to tell you that we changed votes." Jane snapped her fingers in realization. "But still, it doesn't add up. it should at least be a tie."

"Did Marvin tell you how he's gonna vote?" Cassie asked. "What if he didn't vote for Sarah too?"

"It's definitely a possibility but I can't believe it." Jane shook her head and looked out at the river. "Marvin not voting with us? That only means he either voted for you or Desmond."

"I'll go talk to him." Cassie stood up and looked back towards the outpost. "I gotta know why."

 **~Confessional~**

 **Jane:** Even though it's probably the only possibility left, it's unbelievable. Marvin has been a loyal ally and friend, right? What if he has a separate alliance? Wait, that's not possible. Who would he even talk to? This is pretty stressing. Now I know how Sarah feels.

 **Cassie:** I gotta know who Marvin voted for. The best case scenario is that he voted for Desmond with me, but the worst case scenario is that he voted for me. I know that I should trust him because I consider this alliance my family and all.

 **~End Confessional~**

Desmond met up with Marvin in the forest area. The latter was looking at a rather peculiar apple from the tree when the former approached him.

"Marvin, I wanted to thank you for last night." Desmond called out and Marvin turned around to face him.

"But Cassie still wasn't voted out. I did not suspect she would have an Invincibility Statue." Marvin shook his head. "Sooner or later they'll approach me and wonder about who I voted for."

"Tell them you voted for me." Desmond said simply.

"I'm going to lie to them?" Marvin narrowed his eyes at the other boy.

"You have to if you want to get far in this game." Desmond told him. "They'd vote for you too when the time comes. Don't act as if you guys are gonna be four winners at once."

"That's true." Marvin conceded. "I'm not much for lying to my friends but just this once."

"Of course." Desmond nodded. "And many more times to come." He added under his breath.

"I'll be going for now. I promised Phoebe we'd be walking together later." Marvin said as he turned to leave.

"Alright." Desmond left as well while grinning to himself.

 **~Confessional~**

 **Desmond:** Marvin makes for the perfect Felix substitute. It may take some work to gain his trust, but it will happen. It's not like I've been actually lying to him about everything I said. Jane and Cassie are challenge threats and need to be dealt with immediately. As for Arnold, well I expect his hopes to be crushed a little now that Sarah's gone so he should be harmless for now.

 **Marvin:** Should I lie to them and tell them I voted for Desmond? Or tell them the truth that I voted for Cassie? And if I do tell them I voted for Cassie, do I lie and say that Desmond forced to or tell the truth that I had my own agenda? This game really is difficult.

 **~End Confessional~**

Phoebe was going downstairs when she saw Arnold eating by himself in the dining area. The soccer player was currently eating mashed potatoes with a depressed look on his face.

"A-Arnold?" The doll faced girl tentatively called as she went over to him.

"Yeah?" Arnold answered absentmindedly.

"Are you s-still sad about last n-night?" She asked as she sat across from him and got her own bowl of mashed potatoes. "I'm s-sorry."

"Why are you sorry?" Arnold sighed. "You were just voting with your alliance. We plotted to vote out one of your own so of course you'd vote out one of ours."

"Y-Yeah but it's s-s-still really sad." Phoebe frowned. "I consider S-Sarah as a friend."

"Then why did it have to be her?" Arnold said, exasperated. "Why not Desmond?"

"It's because J-Jane said so. She's the l-leader of the alliance. I think." Phoebe said, unsure of the last part.

"Well I understand that voting with your alliance is a great sign of teamwork." He looked away. "I guess I'm just really bummed about this." He finished eating his mashed potatoes and stood up to leave.

"Y-You don't want to t-talk?" The doll faced girl asked as she continued eating her food.

"Sorry, I'm not my girlfriend." Arnold answered dismissively as he walked out of the outpost.

 **~Confessional~**

 **Arnold:** I know it isn't Phoebe's fault for following her alliance and voting off Sarah which is why I wanted to leave before I say any bad things to her. But without Sarah, our alliance is basically ruined. The team can't fully function without a captain after all.

 **Phoebe:** I hope Arnold i-is going to be alright. W-We still need him to be our team's p-physical asset, but playing without Sarah by his s-side might really take a toll on him. I w-wonder if I'll feel the same if Marvin gets eliminated. W-W-Will he also get really sad if I get e-eliminated? I'll try even h-harder to make sure it d-doesn't happen!

 **~End Confessional~**

* * *

Chris' hologram appeared in the living rooms of both outposts, addressing everyone inside.

"Attention, everyone! Your challenge is here." He announced. "Prepare all the assets you have and meet outside your own outposts. That's all." The hologram blinked out immediately, leaving the contestants mostly confused.

"What?" Jane blinked.

"The challenge is here? What does that mean?" Marvin asked no one in particular.

"It probably means it's right outside our door." Cassie thought aloud. "I'll go get my bodysuit." She ran up the stairs to change clothes.

"I wonder what the challenge is." Arnold said to himself as he opened the door. Outside their outpost were hordes of animals, most of them not present in the real world. Almost every of them had robotic limbs attached to them. "Uh...guys?" He tentatively called out. Phoebe curiously looked out as well then shrieked at the sight then immediately cowered under the desk in fear.

"Eeeeekk!" Marvin went over to the shrieking Phoebe to try to calm her down. An angry snarling growl could be heard from outside, making Phoebe shriek more.

"Calm down, Phoebe!" Marvin tried to hold her still. "Don't panic. Just calm down and think."

Jane rushed over to the back door to see if there was any way they could escape. Upon opening it, she was greeted by eight snarling wolves. Some of them have robotic legs or a robotic eye. They all slowly cornered her back inside the outpost as she cursed silently.

"We're trapped." She announced.

"Well, guess all that's left is to try and break out of here." Desmond sighed as he glanced at the front door then at the back door.

Meanwhile, the Cyan Protoss also began preparing.

"My chocobo is outside." Tatiana looked towards the door. "I have to go get it."

"Later." Nelly grabbed her plasma staff. "We need to wait for the others."

Jude went back downstairs holding a bow in his hand. A quiver containing a couple of arrows was strapped to his back.

"I got this for an asset." The marksman announced. "Wait, where's Nataline?"

"She said she was going to change clothes for a bit." Lucy answered.

"Attention. Surrender or die. Attention." A monotonous robotic voice came from outside their outpost.

"Is this our challenge? To fight robots?" Terrance narrowed his eyes as he opened the door to reveal what could be a legion of humanoid machines, each with different varieties of weapons. "What the heck is this!?" He cursed as his eyes widened at the sight. Tatiana went to go peek out as well and gasped when she saw the army.

"We're gonna fight this!?" The gamer girl backed up a bit.

"Jude, you better have enough arrows." Cyrus snickered.

"Shut up." Jude rolled his eyes.

Nataline ran downstairs to meet them. She now wore a black long sleeved top with white sleeves lined in red, and a long red light skirt and brown leather boots. Her hair is pulled back with a red leather headband.

"What are you wearing?" Jude asked as she joined them downstairs.

"It looks cute." Tatiana beamed. "I wish I had a change of wardrobe with me."

"I tried counting the days and weeks we've been in here and I figured that it's more or less Independence Day from where I'm from." Nataline explained. "I believe so, at least. So I decided to change clothes, and it's also a good thing since it's lighter."

"Of course it's better. Who plays this game wearing heels?" Lucy gave an amused scoff.

"I didn't really know it'd be this physical based." Nataline defended.

"We can talk about that later." Terrance interrupted. "There's still an army of robots outside."

"We can go around the back to avoid them." Jude suggested.

"I just saw from the bedroom window that there are a few out in the back guarding it." Nataline told him. "We can try and break through there."

"Whatever works, I guess." Cyrus shrugged.

 **~Confessional~**

 **Desmond:** Alright so our resistance didn't go so well. By the time Cassie made it downstairs, Arnold and Jane have been taken down. It was a pretty quick struggle that didn't last long, but it's not like we were going to win it anyway.

 **Phoebe:** I didn't k-know what happened next. I h-heard screaming and growled and a-all those horrible sounds, and t-then I felt myself get bitten and I d-disappeared. It was s-scary. *she shivered in fear*

 **Terrance:** I didn't even get to remove my hand from my hoodie pocket when this robot grabbed my wrist and hurled me to the rest of its army. I didn't even feel any pain when I got shot multiple times, or was it because of the adrenaline?

 **Lucy:** *her right eye faintly glowed red* Well that sucked. I tried hiding in the bathroom to see if I can let the army pass by me by the time they took out Jude from inside. Nope, they're pretty thorough. But what was the challenge in all that anyway? It's not like the other team did any better, I'm sure.

 **~End Confessional~**

* * *

Jane, Desmond, and Cassie all woke up to find themselves locked in a cell, the bars made of electricity. Cassie sat up first and looked around at their surroundings. The floor was made of metal as well as the walls, lighted up by small white lights that shone brightly to illuminate the entire hallway before them. She could see no one else outside.

"What happened?" Jane groaned as she sat up as well.

"This isn't our outpost." Desmond noted as he looked around as well.

"I remember trying to fight off the creatures." Cassie recalled. "I got overwhelmed and felt my avatar vanish."

"And what? We spawned here?" Desmond stood up and stretched a bit. "What if this is our challenge?"

"But Chris didn't explain any of this." Jane pointed out to him. "This isn't fair."

"But the other team definitely doesn't know what to do either." Desmond noted to himself.

Chris' hologram appeared in front of them and chuckled. "So how was the challenge? Pretty challenging, right?"

"Yeah, very funny." Jane rolled her eyes and crossed her arms. "So what's the actual challenge?"

"I'm glad you asked." Chris smirked. "Your challenge is to escape this spaceship by going to the east hanger. First you need to find the rest of your team because I will not be counting your win if not everybody is present."

"Is the respawn thing gonna apply?" Cassie asked.

"Yes, there is a chance you will die during this challenge. You will respawn here, where you awoke. Other members of your team will respawn where they awoke. Any more questions?"

They glanced at each other but said nothing.

"Good. Then you can begin." The hologram disappeared.

"This is bad. We have to make sure nobody dies or we start again from square one." Desmond remarked to them.

"Maybe that's why Chris made us bring our assets and all." Cassie glanced down at her bodysuit. "It will help us win the challenge, y'all."

"Then let's go." Jane said as she looked outside. The electric bars suddenly turned off on its own, making the path clear for them.

* * *

Nataline and Tatiana awoke in a similar cell, with the mecha chocobo right outside. The Chris hologram disappeared and the electric bars died down.

"I'll go find the others while you go ahead and find the hanger." Nataline told the gamer girl.

"Wait, shouldn't I be the one to find the others since I have a mount?" Tatiana pointed out.

"You can't ferry everyone to the hanger. It's better if you go ahead and guard it from the enemy team." The noble girl explained.

"Oh yeah, that makes sense." Tatiana realized as she ran out of the cell and immediately got on her mount. "Then I'll see you there!" She exclaimed as she rode ahead down the hallway. Nataline saw her go before running down the other end of the hallway, her new clothes making her faster than before.

Nataline ran down another corridor to see Lucy get cornered by Arnold.

"Sorry, it's just part of the game." Arnold muttered as he went to kick the soft spoken girl. Lucy rolled away in time to barely avoid it.

"So you're getting violent now, is that it? I guess Ray is rubbing off on you." Lucy had an evil smirk on her face.

"Shut it. You don't know anything." Arnold grunted angrily as he went for another kick, this time catching her by the side which made her tumble along the steel floor.

"Hey! Stop that right now!" Nataline yelled as she went over to Lucy. She glared at Arnold. "You're hurting girls now? That's dishonorable, even for you."

"I wanna see you get your loved one voted off, then we'll see if what I'm doing is dishonorable." Arnold glared back at her as he stalked towards them. "They voted off Sarah."

"And you're taking it out on Lucy?" Nataline backed up along with Lucy. She saw that there was a small circular opening beside them, just big enough for only both of them to duck inside.

"I can't afford to lose this." Arnold said, almost desperately. "I can't afford to let the other alliance get the better of me."

"Well we want to win too, so it sucks to be you." Lucy countered with a sneer as she saw the opening as well. She nodded towards Nataline who glanced at her and nodded back. "I hope they vote you out when you lose." She laughed.

"I said we're not losing this!" Arnold said angrily as he charged at them, aiming to tackle them both to the ground. Nataline and Lucy immediately went sideways and towards the opening. It was dark inside, so they wouldn't know where they would end up. Lucy went first, easily ducking in and going down, her screams echoing out. Nataline followed her down, just barely avoiding Arnold's hand about to grab her ankle.

 **~Confessional~**

 **Lucy:** Arnold has gone pretty unstable now, huh? Do jocks really get this riled up when they lose in a game?

 **~End Confessional~**

* * *

Cyrus and Jude were down in another hallway, running away from what looks to be a group of miniature four legged machines, equipped with blaster guns atop their heads. They managed to keep avoiding the few shots fired at them.

"Isn't it about time you used whatever it is you got back at the secret room?" Jude glanced towards Cyrus as the two turned left. They saw more of the machines in that direction and immediately turned back to go the other way.

"The AI was an ass." Cyrus grunted. "I had the chance to ask three questions and it tricked me."

"Sounds to me like you just asked the wrong ones." Jude sighed with a shake of his head as they ducked in a room. "Now quiet." He ordered as they hid in the darkness, listening to the machines pass them by in swarms.

"I did ask about the challenge." Cyrus whispered when they couldn't hear any more machines passing by. "It only said that it'll be in a spaceship. That's it."

"Then you should have been more specific." Jude groaned in disappointment as he went out to peek at the hallway before going back the way they came. Cyrus trailed behind him.

"Whatever. It's not like we'll be prepared for it anyway." Cyrus rolled his eyes. "And it was you guys who pushed me in there." He reminded.

"Well we didn't know what it contained." Jude shrugged. "The least you could do was make use of it but nope, you still sucked at it." He suddenly turned a corner and a trap activated from the floor. A beam of electricity show down at the marksman and instantly made his avatar disappeared after only a moment of screaming.

"Well that just happened." Cyrus sighed as her went around the trap and continued on.

* * *

Marvin hid inside a room, clutching an injured left arm as he waited for the spaceship guards to pass by him. He breathed slowly and silently to not attract any attention to himself as he stayed there.

"This isn't looking good." He muttered to himself. "The guards are heavily guarding the east hanger. What to do..." He thought to himself.

Suddenly, he heard a loud girly scream coming from the end of the hallway. He widened his eyes as he went out to peek down the hall where it came from.

"That sounded like Phoebe." He realized as he went out of hiding and ran to where the sound came from, still gripping his injured arm.

The doll faced girl was cornered in the dead end of the hallway by a six foot tall terminator-like robot with an automatic rifle in its hand. It glared down at the smaller girl with red robotic eyes as it aimed.

"E-Eeek!" She squealed in fear as she cowered in the corner of the hallway, curling herself up as a means of self defense.

"Over here!" Marvin shouted as he repeatedly tapped his knuckle on the metal wall. That made little sound, however, and ended up hurting his own hand. "Ow." He muttered in pain as he realized how stupid that move was. The terminator took no notice of him as it let out a burst of bullets towards Phoebe. "No!" He saw Phoebe's avatar disappeared after a few rounds caught her.

That's when he saw the machine turn back to face him, the gun now by its hip and aimed right at him. It fired a single round but the boy managed to duck for cover and run down the hallway. "I'm sorry Phoebe." He said softly to himself. He turned a corner and accidentally activated the trap by the floor, sending a steel cage falling from the ceiling and down on him. "What?" He whipped his head back and forth to find a way out but couldn't. He heard the terminator draw closer to him and turned back to see it already near him, stalking towards him.

"Haaa!" Came Cassie's yell as she tackled into the machine from down another hallway, slamming it against the wall and making a loud metallic crunch in the process. The terminator dropped its gun which Jane picked up and began firing at its head, hitting its eyes and its AI in the process. Cassie regained her balance as she dusted herself off of any parts. "We're here now, y'all." She announced with a grin.

"Great timing." Marvin sighed in relief.

"We heard Phoebe's scream. Where is she?" Jane asked as Cassie gripped two bars of the cage and used the strength of the bodysuit to pry it open just enough for Marvin to slip through.

"She got shot down." Marvin answered regrettably. "This machine was after her and shot her before I could do anything about it."

"But she'll respawn anyway, right?" Cassie pointed out. "She'll be alright."

"Will she?" Jane had a few doubts on her mind. "No offense but this is Phoebe we're talking about. We should at least get someone to go find her."

"I'll go. I have to make up for it." Marvin offered.

"No." Jane shook her head. "I'll go. You're not physically fit enough to handle this plus it looks like you have an injured arm." She motioned towards his left arm. "Stay with Cassie and keep going. We'll meet you at the hanger." And with that, she took off down the hallway they had just come from.

 **~Confessional~**

 **Marvin:** That was honestly was stupid of me to try and get its attention by tapping my knuckle on the wall. Maybe I'm just not good when it comes to split second decisions. Still, I failed in protecting Phoebe. I hope she can forgive me. *he rubs the back of his head*

 **~End Confessional~**

* * *

Nelly and Terrance were nearing the east hanger as they went through another room to enter another hallway, seeing a terminator patrol the area.

"Take this!" Nelly made a short battle cry as she drove her plasma staff upwards, connecting it with the robot's neck and pushing it clean off the head.

"Nice one." Terrance praised as he opened the door to another room and checked to see if it was clear before entering it. Nelly followed him inside after making sure nobody was following them.

"Stop making me do all the work and use whatever it is you're hiding there!" Nelly complained as she pointed at his right hand. "What happens if I get pinned down or something?"

"Then I'll use it." Terrance simply said. "But for now, no one sees what I've got." He declared as he opened the other door that connected to a different room. To their surprise, it was one of the doors leading to the east hanger.

"We're here." Nelly exclaimed as she rushed forth ahead of him. They both saw Tatiana guarding the only space craft there. It seemed to have room for all team members inside.

"You guys made it!" The gamer girl cheered as she rode over to them.

"Did anyone from the other team pass by here already?" Terrance asked as he adjusted his glasses.

"Nope. It's just you guys." Tatiana answered with a smile. "Are you proud of me, Terrance?"She placed her hands on her hips proudly but then held on to the reins again when she started to fall to the side.

"Why is this too easy?" Nelly smirked arrogantly as she made her way over to the space craft to gaze upon it more.

"Don't jinx it." Terrance warned her.

"Come on, we all have assets here." Nelly pointed out. "Well maybe we don't know what you have there but it's probably still an asset."

Another door leading to the hanger opened and Cassie and Marvin entered from it.

"They're here already." Marvin exclaimed as they saw the three members of the Cyan Protoss ahead of them.

"Ah! Intruders!" Tatiana said in alarm and her chocobo squawked at the two newcomers angrily.

"Here I come, y'all." Cassie grinned as she charged forward at them, her bodysuit glowing a faint green color and leaving a light trail of neon. Tatiana met her halfway by ordering her mecha chocobo to charge in as well, and both of them clashed in the middle.

"Gahh!" Tatiana screamed out followed by a squawk from her chocobo as Cassie pushed through with her attack, tackling the creature upwards and puncturing its neck. It flew along with its rider, crashing down on the floor and crushing Tatiana under its defeated form. "Argh! I'm stuck!" She cried out as she desperately tried to push off the chocobo.

"Yeehaw!" Cassie cheered as she spun her hat in the air.

"Tatiana!" Terrance rushed over to try and help her get out while Nelly stood in between them and Cassie.

"That didn't work out well." Nelly rolled her eyes. "Time for me to take you out instead."

"Well we'll find out now." Cassie grinned as she delivered a fast yet strong kick towards the other girl. Nelly swiftly blocked it with her plasma staff, but she was pushed back a bit by the force. "Not bad." She praised.

"Oh yeah? Well take this!" Nelly shouted as she swung her weapon at her, catching her by the gut before it got grabbed. "Hey, let go!" She protested as she tugged at it.

"Alright." Cassie shrugged before letting go of the plasma staff, the tugging force knocking back Nelly instead. Cassie took this chance to charge her again and tackle her against the space craft, forcing her avatar to flicker out.

"Good job, Cassie." Marvin went his way over to the space craft. However, Terrance blocked his path.

"Not so fast." He glared at him. A slashing sound was heard for a moment, followed by Marvin's avatar disappearing. Cassie widened her eyes when she saw Terrance standing there, a psionic blade attached to his right arm, activated by a small skeletal-looking gauntlet with complex wires connected everywhere.

"Well I'll be." The ranch girl tipped her hat forward as she narrowed her eyes at the techie boy.

 **~Confessional~**

 **Terrance:** Let's see how smug she'll be when she gets sliced down.

 **Cassie:** Yeehaw! Now the real fun starts!

 **~End Confessional~**

* * *

Nataline and Lucy fell down on what looks like a shoot leading to the waste area. They landed on a large pile of garbage, cushioning their fall and burying them a bit in the pile. With some struggling, they managed to get out and looked at their surroundings.

"Where are we?" Nataline moaned in slight pain as she squinted her eyes to get a better look around.

"I'm pretty sure that judging solely on the smell around here, we're in the dump site of this ship." Lucy answered with a scowl as she took in the scent and recoiled.

"And this dress is new too." Nataline sighed as they both started walking around.

"I don't care. Right now, we need to find an exit immediately." Lucy declared as she started to look around, her red eye glowing a bit.

"You've gotten much bolder ever since the phobia challenge." Nataline pointed out to her. "Are you alright?"

"Alright? I've never felt so alive!" Lucy exclaimed with a hearty laugh. "I can talk better and I'm even more useful at challenges now. Don't you want that?"

"Of course I want that. I just thought that maybe it's taking a toll on you." Nataline frowned a bit as they both held their noses to avoid the stench of the place.

"Don't worry about me. Just focus on winning." Lucy told her as she found the exit in the short distance.

"Right. That's important too." Nataline agreed with a half nod. She was about to follow Lucy into the exit when she saw something glowing amidst a small pile of cans and plastic. It was a small tube-like container that glowed a neon blue. Inside contained an emblem in the form of a pin. It is a big 'L' with a cross behind it, adorned with three roses at the bottom part of the emblem.

"Hey. What are you doing?" Lucy called out to her when she realized the noble girl wasn't following her anymore.

"Hold on, I think I found something." Nataline reached down to pick up the container. Unlike the rest of the garbage, it didn't smell bad. Rather, it smelled a bit like mint. She opened the container and got the emblem. After inspecting it a bit, her eyes widened. "The Louise family symbol. It's here! But why?" She continued to stare at it as Lucy joined her and looked at it as well.

"It's just a piece of metal. If it impresses you so much then take it so we can go already." Lucy urged as she shook her head.

"But I can't just wear it, I'm not the proper heir yet." Nataline frowned.

"What does that even mean?" Lucy raised her eyebrow.

"Oh...it's nothing." The noble girl laughed lightly. "I just thought that I might get judged for wearing it."

"It's your last name, right? You definitely have the right to wear that thing. They can't tell you what to do. What are you, their slave? Wear it like you own it." Lucy scoffed as she began walking back at the exit.

Nataline glanced at Lucy then at the pin. "A slave, huh?" She muttered quietly to herself.

 **~Confessional~**

 **Nataline:** *she is wearing the pin on the right side of her dress* Does it look nice? I've always dreamed to wear the family symbol on my dress. I believed that I wasn't worthy of it, but now I feel a sense of confidence after I put it on. It's weird but I like it. *she smiles*

 **~End Confessional~**

* * *

Desmond met up with Arnold along one hallway and decided to travel together to reach the hanger. They slid past enemy guards to go from room to room. After a few corrider turns, they saw two other people ahead of them.

"Is that Jude and Cyrus?" Arnold asked his partner.

Desmond nodded. "Seems like it, yeah."

Cyrus glanced behind him to see them. "Hey, it's the other team." He warned to Jude.

The marksman turned back as well. "You guys?"

"Yeah, us guys." Arnold said darkly before blindly charging at the boy. Jude got caught off guard and was knocked back into a wall.

"Hey what the- Fine." Desmond conceded before pushing down Cyrus, the other boy offering little resistance to stop him.

"Tsk." Jude got up and pushed Arnold back, making the soccer player stagger a bit before he regained balance and knee'd him in the gut. "Gah!"

"Sorry but I really can't lose right now." Arnold apologized with no hint of sympathy as he kicked him, his foot connecting with the other boy's head. The force was enough to send his avatar flickering out along with a short grunt of pain. He turned around to see Desmond tackle Cyrus against the wall and forced his avatar to disappear as well.

"We got them out. This should buy us time." Desmond remarked. "Still, that's kind of unlike you to do that so suddenly."

"We just lost our alliance leader, what did you expect?" Arnold grunted with a roll of his eyes as he started jogging down the hall.

"For you to calm down and think this through calmly." Desmond guessed as he jogged alongside him. "If you do something reckless, you'll get eliminated."

"Sarah didn't do anything reckless and she got eliminated!" Arnold countered a bit too loudly. "It isn't fair!"

"This game has its unique perks. Don't get victimized by it is all I'm saying." Desmond sighed Arnold jogged ahead of him.

"Then you should stay alert too. We're in the minority now for sure." Arnold called out as the door by the end of the hallway slid open and he passed through.

"We'll see about that." Desmond muttered to himself as he gave a cunning smirk.

 **~Confessional~**

 **Desmond:** Arnold doesn't know that I have a secret alliance with Marvin and possibly Phoebe as well. Even if we do lose, I'm not gonna be the one on the chopping block, no."

 **Arnold:** I realized that I always relied on Sarah to make this alliance work. Now that she's gone, I have to make sure I don't leave. I may not be good strategically, but I'm strong and skilled. I'll definitely overpower the other team and then overpower them all in the merge!

 **~End Confessional~**

* * *

Jane found Marvin and Phoebe running away from a single spaceship guard armed with only a blaster handgun. Phoebe ran ahead while Marvin was behind her, trying to body block the shots fired.

"Over here!" Jane called out to them as she took out her assault rifle and aimed it at the guard.

"J-Jane?" Phoebe whipped her head to see her teammate standing there with her own gun.

"You made it." Marvin said in relief as they changed course to run towards where she is. Jane fired a few burst shots at the guard, catching him in the arms which caused him to get off balanced.

"Hurry and get behind me." Jane ordered. "I'll handle this." She moved forward to fire a few more rounds at the guard, this time knocking him back and fall over dead.

"The hanger is this way." Marvin pointed in another direction and grabbed Phoebe's hand so that they could run alongside each other.

"O-Okay." Phoebe nodded as she tried to keep up.

"Wait, why are you here?" Jane asked him. "Weren't you with Cassie?"

"I was struck down by Terrance." Marvin explained. "It seems even he has an asset now."

"What?" Jane's eyes widened. "How can this be? How can the other team have so many assets?"

"I've thought about that and I assume that they create their own assets." Marvin deduced as they rounded a corner and saw one more spaceship guard.

"Eeek! More of t-them." Phoebe said in fear as Jane stepped forward again to unleash a barrage of bullets at the guard, once again making quick work of him.

"Got him." She announced as they ran past the dead guard. "And if what you say is true, that means that sooner or later all of them will have one."

"I don't think so." Marvin shook his head. "We're near the merge so I'm assuming that they'll be separated by then. I don't even think they're unified."

"They aren't." Jane affirmed. "Terrance and Nataline hate each other, and all of them hate Cyrus."

"W-What does that m-mean?" Phoebe asked, trying to be a part of the conversation.

"It means that we can use their differences to our advantage, I hope." Marvin told her as they neared the hanger.

"You hope?" Jane raised an eyebrow.

"I'm not all too confident about our chances of winning them over to be honest." Marvin admitted with a sigh. "Who would we even get on our side?"

"Tatiana for sure." Jane said with certainty in her voice. "She and I used to be in one alliance. Terrance can be won over if ever he can talk to girls and understand them better now."

"Then w-we'll be fine?" Phoebe looked up at Jane.

"Of course." She assured the doll faced girl. They now stood in front of the door where Marvin and Cassie originally went through. "But first, let's go win this challenge." They both nodded as she opened the door.

 **~Confessional~**

 **Jane:** Tatiana and Terrance can still be valuable allies for me. They know how to survive well in this game and are open-minded. As for Nataline, her performance during Red Sith eliminations are a bit sketchy at most so I'll think about it for a while.

 **~End Confessional~**

Marvin, Phoebe, and Jane entered the east hanger just in time to see Cassie jump back to where they are. Her bodysuit had numerous slashes marks on them and parts of her skin are seen.

"Howdy, y'all." The rancher girl greeted. She was panting hard and was already sweating.

"What happened to you?" Jane asked with concern.

"That boy Terrance is giving a good fight." Cassie motioned her head towards the techie boy, who stood a few good meters away from them. He also panted hard and his psionic blade was flickering in and out.

"O-Oh no. What should w-we do?" Phoebe asked with a hint of anxiety in her tone. Marvin wrapped one arm around her and gave her a smile.

"We'll think of something." He tried to assure her.

"I just thought of one." Jane smirked as she pointed her assault rifle at Terrance.

"Oh look, if it isn't Jane." Terrance adjusted his glasses as he prepared to charge again. "You think that gun will harm me?"

"I know it will." Jane said confidently. "That blade won't deflect everything." She began unleashing a barrage of bullets towards him. Some of them missed, with others almost making contact if not for Terrance using his psionic blade to disintegrate some of them. However, a few did catch him in the body, making him fall to the ground in pain.

"Argh!" Terrance grunted as he struggled to get up but saw that his avatar was quickly fading away. "Not now..." He vanished from the spot he was in.

"Terrance! No!" Tatiana screamed as she desperately tried to get out of her mecha chocobo's crushed body, still to no avail.

"Well ya look at that. We won." Cassie tipped her hat forward to Jane who was busy checking her gun's magazine only to find that it was empty.

"Yeah, which is good since I don't have any more bullets." Jane sighed as she tossed the assault rifle aside. "Let's get inside already."

"What a-about Tatiana?" Phoebe motioned towards the gamer girl.

"She can't really do anything in that state. It's better to just leave her be." Marvin shrugged as he proceeded to walk towards the spacecraft.

"Works for me. I'm not one to beat someone who is down." Jane agreed as she followed him there.

* * *

Nataline and Lucy started running down the hall while carefully avoiding the laser traps set up on the floor. They watched their steps but maneuvered quickly and efficiently.

"We must be near." Lucy remarked as she saw more laser traps on the ground when they rounded a corner. "These traps are getting harder and harder."

"Over there." Nataline pointed at the room down the hall. "We can take a detour there."

"It's worth a try." Lucy agreed as she took the lead and began brisk walking towards it. Nataline followed closely behind as she entered the room after her.

Inside the room there are what looks to be like unfinished steel humanoids resembling terminators. Some lack a complete face, others lack limbs. A complex machinery is busy doing its work on manufacturing it, unaware of the visitors inside. What truly caught their attention though is that ahead of them are both Arnold and Desmond, the former picking up a flat glowing red disk from the floor.

"It's the other team." Nataline gasped.

"It's you guys again." Arnold groaned as he saw who it was.

"You've encountered them earlier?" Desmond asked.

"Yeah. They ducked down a thin tube to escape." The soccer player sniffed the air and recoiled a bit. "And anyone can guess where they landed." He smirked.

"Yeah, we landed in your house, where else?" Lucy countered as her red eye glowed.

"You talk big but you are aware that we're stronger than you both combined, right?" Desmond gave a side smirk.

"Don't look down on me." Lucy growled as she ran forward, her fist raised. "I'll knock you down grab whatever it is you got." She pointed at the item Arnold is holding, who placed it in his pocket.

"I'll handle this." Desmond told Arnold. "You run faster. Go to the hanger to ensure your safety."

"Got it." Arnold immediately began to turn around and dash for the exit of the room.

"Wait!" Nataline moved to chase him but Desmond blocked her path. Just then, Lucy was already very close to the boy and delivered a punch to his jaw. With a grunt, he staggered back but regained his balance easily.

"That kinda stung." Desmond muttered. "Look, I'm afraid to hurt girls."

"Good, maybe then we'll get a challenge." Lucy smirked as she spun around to deliver a kick to his gut. Desmond was caught off guard and fell backwards this time.

"Oof." He said in pain as he fell to the ground.

"Good job, now let's go." Nataline urged as she began running again.

"I'd rather stay behind and show this guy why nobody messes with me." Lucy said darkly as she stepped forward slowly towards Desmond, who was standing up now.

"But we have a challenge to win!" Nataline insisted.

"Then you go ahead!" Lucy shot back while glaring at her. "I'll follow you shortly."

Nataline just blinked and then sighed to herself as she turned around and ran after Arnold.

 **~Confessional~**

 **Lucy:** Nobody messes with me. That's what everyone should learn. *her red eye glows brighter* The other Lucy would allow herself to be trampled like that, but not me. Never me!

 **~End Confessional~**

Arnold saw the door leading to the hanger and opened it and ran inside. He scanned the area to find Jane standing by the landing pad of the spacecraft.

"Hurry!" Jane urged the soccer player. "And where's Desmond?"

"He's holding off Lucy and Nataline." He answered as he ran up to her. "He told me to go ahead and protect this thing. Says it might be important." He presented the red disk from his pocket to her.

"What is this?" Jane asked.

"I don't know but it kept saying 'incompatible' when me and Desmond each took a turn in touching it." Arnold shrugged. "He said it's important because he thinks it's an asset."

"It might be." Jane inspected the device before taking it from him.

"COMPATIBLE! COMPATIBLE!" The device suddenly alarmed as it glowed brightly.

"What the-" Jane was interrupted when the device suddenly dismantled itself from the inside out. It's form became that of thin and flexible wires that crawled along her arm and then across her body.

"Jane!" Arnold tried to get the wires out but it held on tight to her skin.

"What's happening over there?" Tatiana stuck her neck out to try and get a better look at the scene.

"Aaahhh!" Jane screamed as she tried to use her other hand to stop it from spreading but only succeeded in making it spread faster all over her body. The wires then liquefied itself, searing her entire body in hot melted metal as Arnold saw that it slowly sunk into her system. She kept screaming as she was on her knees now, not bothering to open her eyes to see what was happening to her.

"Jane? Jane!" Arnold called out to her as he held both of her shoulders and shook them. The girl slowly opened her eyes while breathing heavily, still feeling the heat from the melted metal. She looked at herself and found out that it was completely gone. The device isn't in her hand anymore and the wires aren't around her. "Are you alright?" The soccer player asked.

"No of course not! God that hurts." Jane gritted her teeth as she slowly stood up. "Let's just get inside, and don't bring any more suspicious items. What the hell was Desmond thinking anyway?" She staggered towards the inside of the spacecraft.

Arnold simply shrugged. He glanced towards the door of the hanger, which opened to reveal Nataline running through it. "Why are you here? Where's Desmond?" He glared at her.

"Lucy is keeping him company. I'm sure she'll come through these doors instead of him, though." Nataline smirked. Seeing Tatiana pinned down by her chocobo, her face became that of concern. "Tatiana? What happened to you?"

"I got defeated by Cassie. Avenge me!" The gamer girl exclaimed with a pout. "She defeated Nelly and Terrance too."

"Guess we now know which team is the strongest." Arnold said with a wide grin. "You lose. Just surrender already."

"It's not yet over." Nataline shot back. She was about to say something again when the other door opened and Nelly, Jude, and Cyrus bursted through it.

"We can still make it." Nelly told her teammates as she slowly twirled her plasma staff.

"Give it to me, I'll take them out." Jude said as he ran forward and held out his palm.

"No! It's mine!" She insisted as she lagged behind.

"It's obviously too heavy for you so just give it to him." Cyrus pointed out to her as he ran ahead of her now.

"Well I'm not giving it up!" Nelly scowled.

"Stop fighting!" Nataline interrupted. "Just stop them!"

All three of them nodded and charged towards Arnold. The soccer player started running back inside the spacecraft and called out to his team.

"They're right outside. We have to stall them until Desmond comes." He told them all. Jane and Cassie nodded and immediately went out to meet with the Cyan Protoss team.

"Howdy, Nelly. Out for another round?" The rancher girl tipped her hat forward as she regarded the nerd.

Nelly looked her up and down to see her torn bodysuit. "Aw, did Terrance give you a hard time? I'll just have to finish what he started."

Nataline wanted to use this opportunity to tackle down Cassie while she's distracted but Jane got in her way. "Going somewhere, old teammate?" Jane smirked.

"That line didn't sound so good to the ears." Nataline pointed out.

"Yeah, that's true." Jane admitted. "But anyways, you won't get past me."

"You don't have an asset with you so I think our chances are equal." Nataline noted.

"We'll see about that." Jane gritted her teeth and ran towards her to punch her in the gut. To her surprise, her entire right arm formed into a sharp long blade. Nataline was surprised as well and froze her in place as the blade connected with her abdomen.

"Gahh..." The noble girl said in both shock and pain.

"Whoa." Jane widened her eyes at her own attack. In that moment, Nataline's avatar disappeared. "This is pretty cool."

"Nataline!" Jude saw the scene and ran towards where they are. Jane whipped her head back to him and could only look on in shock as the marksman tackled her hard to the ground. Instead of her avatar disappearing, her entire being turned into a puddle of liquid metal. "What the heck!?"

"Jane?" Cassie looked to see her friend become a puddle of liquid metal on the ground. She turned her attention back to Nelly and Cyrus before blocking a blow from the nerd's staff and kicking the emo boy aside. "Y'all don't stand a chance." She told them as she got the plasma staff from Nelly and snapped it in half with her knee.

"No! My weapon!" Nelly yelled out in anger. "You...You bitch!" She gave a battle cry and punched Cassie in the face, only for the other girl to duck and delivered a kick to her chest. The nerd was sent flying upwards and hit the ceiling, promptly making her avatar flickered out.

"Well that's a loss." Cyrus sighed as he backed off a bit.

"Aren't ya gonna avenge your teammate?" Cassie tilted her head.

"Not worth the beating." Cyrus deadpanned.

Desmond went through the door and immediately scanned the area for his teammates. "Is everyone here?"

"Yeah, we're just waiting up on you." Arnold called out from the landing pad of the spacecraft as he waved to his teammate. Cassie took this as a cue to retreat back to the spacecraft as well.

"But Jane got defeated y'all." The rancher girl pointed to the puddle of liquid metal as Desmond reached the landing pad, only to see that it started to form into Jane's silhouette.

"Is that-?" Arnold pointed at the metal forming and it remade itself to be Jane's avatar.

"Ah!" Jane gasped as she opened her eyes and looked at her body. "Hey, I'm back." She now looked all around her. "And I'm still in the hanger."

"We can figure this out later. Hurry up!" Desmond urged. Jane turned towards her teammates and nodded before joining them on the spacecraft, the landing pad closing just after she entered.

"Nooo!" Tatiana cried out as she watched the spacecraft close up entirely and fly away.

"Well we lost." Cyrus shrugged.

"Why aren't you sad or pissed or anything?" Tatiana pouted.

"Because it's not worth thinking of. I already know who is going home tonight." The emo boy said distantly as he began walking away.

"And just like that, the Silver Terminators won the challenge!" Chris announced through the speakers. "Cyan Protoss, I will see you in an hour for your elimination ceremony."

* * *

 **(Silver Terminators)**

The team headed back to their respective outpost, clearly tired and worn out from the challenge. Cassie lagged behind so she can walk alongside Jane, who seemed to be staring at her right arm intently while moving her fingers slowly.

"What are ya doing back here?" The rancher girl asked while also looking at her friend's arm. "Ya seem focused on something."

"Earlier I defeated Nataline by punching her, but then my arm turned into this steel blade and I stabbed her instead. It's weird." Jane told her. "I don't remember doing it but it felt so real and my mind felt like it did that on purpose."

"Ya also turned into a gray puddle after Jude tackled you." Cassie remarked.

"Yeah which makes it even weirder. I felt unconscious for a moment but I knew that I became a puddle. Afterwards, I kinda willed myself to stand up." Jane tried to remember while looking up.

"Which ya did." Cassie nodded. "How did ya do that anyway? Is it a special item or something?"

"A special item..." Jane thought for a moment before snapping her fingers. "That's it! It was the device that Arnold gave me." She realized.

"A device?" The rancher girl tilted her head to the side in confusion.

"When I held it, it suddenly glowed and said 'compatible'. Before I knew it, it dissolved into these metal wires and coiled around my body before turning into hot liquid and then disappearing slowly." Jane remembered. "Wait, what if it became a part of my body?"

"Ya mean you're metal now?" Cassie made a face.

"Could be." Jane shrugged.

"That's pretty cool. It has no chance of it breaking if it's in your body." Cassie thought aloud.

"Speaking of things that break, how's the suit?" She pointed towards the bodysuit her friend is wearing.

"I felt the power go out when we got on the vehicle." Cassie frowned as she tugged at the cloth. "Seems like it's broken now."

"W-What's broken now?" Phoebe asked meekly as she caught up with her friends.

"My suit, Phoebe." Cassie answered her with a sigh. "Terrance and me fought hard and his strikes cut through my suit."

"Yikes." Phoebe frowned. "T-That means you can't use it anymore r-right?"

"Sadly, yeah." Cassie sighed. "Sorry y'all."

"No problem. I got my metal self now." Jane smirked. "I hope I can **get** the hang of controlling this by tomorrow."

"J-Jane is metal now? Like a r-r-robot?" Phoebe asked, almost fearfully.

"Hey, don't worry about it so much." Jane crouched down in front of the doll faced girl. "I'm still me. I'm just an asset in itself."

"O-Okay, I trust you." Phoebe gave a small smile. "I just d-don't like robots much but y-you're an exemption because you're m-my friend."

"You're my friend too. Both of you." Jane smiled and hugged her. "Oh and Marvin too."

"Marvin, huh." Cassie glanced over at the front of the group where she saw Marvin conversing with Desmond.

 **~Confessional~**

 **Cassie:** I didn't get the chance to talk to Marvin about the votes last night. I wanna believe that the guy is on our side, but I see him talk to Desmond sometimes and I don't know what I should think about it. Maybe it's nothin'.

 **Jane:** With this new asset I basically have an edge in the merge, which is near now that I think about it. People will obviously target me for having it so I better plan carefully.

 **~End Confessional~**

Desmond and Marvin were walking side by side, talking with one another in hushed tones. They stopped when Arnold called them and jog up towards them.

"Hey so I just wanna say that we played a good game there." The soccer player beamed.

"Why does it feel like you'll have a completely different reaction if we lost?" Desmond sighed and shook his head.

"Don't spoil the moment." Arnold frowned. "I just wanna thank you guys for your hard work. I mean, we won thanks to a team effort."

"It was always about team effort." Desmond looked ahead. "We just don't usually work as well as the other team."

"To be fair, the other team's assets are much more versatile." Marvin remarked. "But now we can see that Tatiana's mount isn't going to help much anymore."

"It doesn't have to help them anymore. Merge is coming up." Desmond reminded him. "After their elimination ceremony, we'll be half the cast."

"Actually I was gonna talk to you guys about that too." Arnold interjected. "I say us guys should work together to eliminate the girls."

"Marvin is loyal to his alliance because Phoebe is there." Desmond glanced at Marvin for a moment, who seemed to be in thought.

"Oh right." Arnold remembered. "But that just leaves the two of us then."

"It does." Desmond confirmed. "We'll need more allies and the only way to do that is to talk with those of the other team."

"Are you both talking about strategy in front of me?" Marvin asked as he glanced at both of them.

"No we aren't. Anyways, gotta go take a shower." Arnold chuckled a bit nervously as he jogged ahead of them and went inside the outpost.

"We're going to have to eliminate him fast." Desmond told Marvin.

"Why?" The other boy asked.

"He's pretty loud and desperate. It will ruin our long term plans." Desmond said simply.

"That makes sense." Marvin nodded. "We'll see how the game will go then."

"Yes since we're in a good spot for now." Desmond agreed. "We observe and vote the way others do, but don't forget our main targets."

 **~Confessional~**

 **Desmond:** Arnold is just become more of a nuisance ever since we were plunged into the minority. Without Shane, I'm forced to trust in Marvin to be my aide which is risky since he could still be a hundred percent loyal to his alliance. I need to tread carefully now.

 **Marvin:** Desmond raises a good point, but I should remember that my alliance is with Phoebe. If Phoebe is in danger of being eliminated then I should do what I can to help her out, no matter who it is I have to betray to do it.

 **~End Confessional~**

* * *

 **(Cyan Protoss)**

Cyrus sat on a large rock near the outpost to think when he was approached by Lucy.

"So, have you given up on trying to survive this game?" She asked him with a smirk.

"Shut up." The emo boy sighed.

"You're not gonna win this game and that's a fact you have to accept." Lucy told him bluntly. "You might as well vote for yourself."

"Maybe I will." Cyrus rolled his eyes. "Look if you're just here to bug me then you can just piss off right now because I'm trying to think and gather inspiration before I leave, alright?" He said, exasperated.

"Actually, I'm not here to just berate you and gloat." Lucy said in a serious tone as her red eye gleamed a bit.

"Then what do you want?" Cyrus raised his eyebrow in wonder.

"A chance for you to redeem yourself." Lucy said simply. "I have a target in mind and I want you to vote for her."

"I'm listening, even though I know it's useless." Cyrus sighed.

"I want you to vote for Nataline tonight." Lucy told him with an evil grin.

"Nataline?" Cyrus narrowed his eyes at her.

"That's right. You don't have any objections, right? Just think about how prideful she was in this game. Think of how she treated you. Now vote for her, and watch as her face becomes that of confusion and terror when she realizes she can't even reach the merge." Lucy urged him as she held his shoulder and gave a squeeze.

"...I'll do it." Cyrus said finally. "I hope it works."

"Trust me, it will." Lucy gave a short laugh as she turned and walked away.

 **~Confessional~**

 **Cyrus:** Vote out Nataline, huh? I guess my last stand could be to vote for someone I don't like. Although I'm curious why she didn't wanna go for Jude instead? Oh right, they're lovers. Typical emotions.

 **~End Confessional~**

Terrance and Tatiana were at the back of the outpost, sitting down with a few tools splayed out in front of them. In front of them was Terrance's gauntlet that erected a psionic blade during the challenge. Leaning against the wall was Tatiana's mecha chocobo, still in its heavily damaged form.

"It's still in the experimental stage so of course it's gonna be a bit buggy." Terrance told the gamer girl. "And yet it failed me in a critical moment."

"I don't think you would have survived those bullets either way." Tatiana pointed out. "And let's look on the bright side! You destroyed Cassie's bodysuit!" She exclaimed and clapped. This made Terrance smile a bit.

"Yeah, that was pretty cool." He said while he adjusted some screws on the gauntlet.

"What about my chocobo? Can it still be fixed?" Tatiana asked sadly as she glanced at her broken mount.

"It can." Terrance looked over his shoulder at the chocobo as well. "But I'll work on this first."

"Okay." Tatiana nodded as she helped out with the repairs on the gauntlet.

 **~Confessional~**

 **Tatiana:** I'm pretty bummed out that my loyal pet got defeated and ...destroyed like that, but hey Terrance said it can still be fixed so that's good news for me! *she beamed*

 **~End Confessional~**

Terrance looked extremely focused on what he was doing, adjusting the wires and repairing a few loose ends on the gauntlet. Tatiana helped in a minor scale, constantly glancing back at her mecha chocobo with a frown.

"I'm gonna go get some water." She announced before standing up and leaving Terrance alone for a while. The techie boy didn't even respond due to his concentration.

The gamer girl went along the side of the outpost and saw Lucy walk up to her from the front. The other girl had an evil grin on her face and her red eye gleamed in the darkness.

"Tatiana." Lucy regarded the gamer girl in an even tone.

"Lucy?" Tatiana hitched a breath when she saw her there. The other girl moved forward a bit.

"Let's talk about the votes." Lucy said with a hint of a sinister tone. "You'll definitely want to hear my offer."

"Why should I? You're not even yourself!" Tatiana exclaimed, backing up a bit. Lucy only stepped forward to close the distance a bit.

"That may be true in your eyes but that isn't important right now." Lucy gave a knowing smirk. "You like Terrance, right?"

"That's right. I even told you about it." Tatiana remembered. "Why?"

"And I'm guessing that he does not know about it yet, right?" Lucy gave a sinister grin.

"Well yeah but..." Tatiana widened her eyes. "Wait, are you going to tell him!? Please don't tell him!" She pleaded.

"Then maybe you'd like to listen to what I have to say." Lucy walked closer to the gamer girl. "I want you to vote off Nataline tonight."

"What!?" Tatiana gasped. "I can't do that. She's my friend."

"Then I suppose you can go find out Terrance's reaction when I tell him about your feelings." Lucy started to walk past her but she blocked her path and held out her two hands.

"Wait wait wait! Can't we talk about this first?" The gamer girl begged.

"This is the only offer I'll make. Vote for Nataline or your secret comes out. I will know whether you did vote for her or not." Lucy laughed as she walked in the other direction.

"But that's..." Tatiana wanted to say something else but decided to think to herself instead.

* * *

Nelly, Nataline, and Jude were inside the outpost eating dinner. Nelly finished first and leaned back into her chair and just stared at the ceiling.

"So it's voting time again." The nerd sighed to herself.

"Who will you vote for?" Jude asked casually.

"We're obviously voting for Cyrus." Nataline said as if it's the most obvious thing in the world. "It's really time for him to go."

"Yeah his attitude is annoying." Nelly rolled her eyes.

"If I'm going to be honest, so is yours." Nataline told her bluntly.

"Excuse me?" Nelly looked angry. "Well I don't like your attitude either. Terrance and Cyrus agrees with me."

"But I'm not a target tonight, Cyrus is." Nataline reminded her.

"Hey guys-" Jude tried to say.

"You act all high and mighty just because you're rich md have a high social status. But in this game, we're all on equal footing." Nelly shot back while pointed at the other girl with an accusing finger.

"Listen, we should-" Jude tried again.

"And you're just a lowly commoner who thinks she can tango with those out of her league." Nataline retorted.

"Wait a minute. What did you say?" Jude interjected firmly as he banged a palm on the table to get their attention. "Lowly commoner?"

Nataline's eyes widened. "It's not what you think. I just lost my temper." She reasoned.

"I came from a poor family and we barely get by." Jude said softly. "There are some people who even look down on us because of that condition we're in. But we didn't choose it. It only happened after mom died." He sighed sadly then glared at Nataline. "To hear a rich girl say that is pretty insulting."

"I told you she's that prideful!" Nelly accused with a victorious smirk.

"Jude, you're my friend. I don't think of you like that." Nataline tried to assure him but to no avail. The marksman stood up and quietly went upstairs to the boys' bedroom.

"You're screwed now. Maybe he'll vote for you tonight." Nelly laughed haughtily.

"Nonsense. The plan is to vote for Cyrus. I talked to Lucy about it earlier." Nataline insisted.

"I think I'm going to like this elimination ceremony." Nelly continued to laugh. Nataline just rolled her eyes.

 **~Confessional~**

 **Nelly:** Maybe I should vote for Nataline tonight and see where this goes. I mean, she's technically useless to me since the teams will obviously dissolve tomorrow when we hit merge. I just don't see why we should keep her.

 **Jude:** I thought that maybe I was overthinking this, but now I know that Nataline does think of us as nothing more than 'lowly commoners'. At least Cyrus doesn't insult us about our lifestyle. Damn, this vote is gonna be hard.

 **Nataline:** Why do I get the strange feeling that I should be careful of tonight's elimination? Surely Jude and Nelly aren't thinking of voting me out right? And even if they do, the rest of them will vote for Cyrus. Well maybe not Terrance since he hates me, but still. Perhaps I should show Nelly what happens when she messes with a Louise girl.

 **~End Confessional~**

* * *

 **(Elimination Ceremony)**

The Cyan Protoss team arrived at the elimination site and sat down at the center seats and saw the Silver Terminators arrive after them to sit at the sidelines. Chris was at the center and in front of the losing team, holding six space food containers.

"After tonight, both teams will have even number of members." Chris remarked. "That means that both teams were pretty much equal." He added with a snicker.

"Not that it would matter because merge is coming." Nelly rolled her eyes.

"I was saving it as a surprise." Chris glared at the nerd. "Party pooper." Nelly just scoffed.

"Anyone who watches this series knows this already." Terrance voiced out.

"Yeah but what about the first-timers?" Chris whined before shaking his head. "Well nevermind. First things first, the votes." He grinned sadistically. "If I call your name and hand you a space food container then you're safe."

"Jude." The marksman caught his container with a neutral look.

"Lucy." The red eyed girl caught hers with a sinister grin that nobody seemed to notice.

"Terrance." The techie boy got his.

"Tatiana." The gamer girl smiled and sighed as she got hers.

"Nataline, Nelly, and Cyrus." Chris glanced at the three contestants he mentioned. "All of you received at least one vote. In fact, only one of you received more than one vote. And the people who are safe are...

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... Nelly and Cyrus!" He announced and passed on the last two containers at the said people.

"W...What?" Nataline said in disbelief.

"Nataline, you have received the most votes and therefore have lost your chance to win the million." Chris told the noble girl.

"Wait! That can't be! Maybe you miscounted." Nataline said, almost desperately and in tears.

"I didn't miscount. Those were the votes." Chris affirmed.

"But I- I just can't leave! Not when I'm so close to merge!" Nataline stood up and glanced at all her teammates. "Why me? Where did I ever go wrong?" She asked them softly yet angrily. Nobody answered her and some even looked away.

"Any last words you want to tell Nataline before she gets beamed away?" Chris asked the Cyan Protoss. Tatiana fidgeted in her seat, looking troubled. "Tatiana?" The host regarded the gamer girl. She then sprang up and showed her Invincibility Statue.

"I use my Statue on Nataline!" She exclaimed as she shoved it in Chris' hands, who had to step back to avoid losing balance.

"Okay okay, geez." The host grumbled as he took the Invincibility Statue. "And by the power vested in the Invincibility Statue, I hereby declare that Nataline is safe from elimination!"

"What?" Nataline said in disbelief once more, wiping away her tears.

"What!?" Nelly exclaimed in anger and shock. "That's not fair!"

"It is fair to me. And I made the rules, remember?" Chris smirked. "So now we're faced with a tiebreaker since both Nelly and Cyrus only received one vote each."

"I'm ready to beat up this emo kid." Nelly said arrogantly.

"Sorry but that's not happening." Cyrus narrowed his eyes at her.

"There will be no dueling." Chris clarified. "The tiebreaker challenge is actually something so simple. You just have to guess what colored ball this is." He took out something from his pocket but refused to show what it is to the two of them. "It's either cyan or silver, make your choice. If you get it right then you stay. That simple." He explained.

"Silver!" Nelly called.

"Fine, so mine is cyan." Cyrus sighed.

"And the colored ball is..." Chris paused for dramatic effect.

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..."Cyan!" He announced as he opened his palm to reveal a small cyan colored plastic ball inside.

"No!" Nelly screamed.

"Yes!" Cyrus cheered but then went back to not grinning at all. "I mean, meh."

"Nelly, you are the 13th place loser for tonight." Chris announced. "Despite being the one to spoil about the merge, you're not gonna be in it." He added with a victorious smirk.

"This is so unfair!" Nelly seethed in anger as she stomped her foot in the ground. "I hate games of chance!"

"Well apparently it hates you too." Cyrus shrugged.

"Why you-!" Nelly was about to strangle Cyrus when a beam of light suddenly shone down on the nerd and took her avatar away from the virtual world.

"Well that was dramatic and satisfying." Chris chuckled. "That's all for tonight, folks. You may get back to your outpost." He said dismissively.

The Silver Terminators left the site first followed by the Cyan Protoss. Nataline panted a bit as she wiped the last of her tears away, still shocked by the events as Tatiana held her wrist and tried to comfort her. Lucy shared a glance with Terrance, who only sighed in response. Jude looked surprised by the results but kept quiet while Cyrus was grinning from ear to ear.

 **~Votes~**

 **Nataline:** I vote for Nelly. I know that it's not gonna make much difference but I want her to feel what it's like being on the final two with Cyrus. *she smirks*

 **Terrance:** I vote for Nataline, at last. Yes I know that I strayed from this goal a bit but now I'm definitely gonna have her eliminated tonight.

 **Jude:** I vote for Cyrus. I really hated what Nataline said but she can't be as bad as Cyrus. Maybe she'll apologize for it tomorrow.

 **Lucy:** My vote goes to Nataline, just as I planned it. And of course, I know that she's going to be eliminated tonight. *her red eye glows and she laughs*

 **Nelly:** After what Nataline said back there, I'm totally voting for her. I know Cyrus is going home but I wanna vote for her for satisfaction. *she shrugs*

 **Cyrus:** I'm gonna trust Lucy on this and vote for Nataline. Can't say I'm all too happy about my chances of staying though.

 **Tatiana:** I really like Nataline as a friend but I don't want Terrance to know that I like him yet. I'm so so so sorry Nataline. I really am. *she frowns and grips her hat in her hand in frustration*

 **~Eliminated~**

 **(24th place) Richard - The Maestro**

 **(23rd place) Delilah - The Serpent**

 **(22nd place) Felix - The Prankster**

 **(21st place) Harvey - The Chill Guy**

 **(20th place) Betty - The Phone Addict**

 **(19th place) Nicholas - The Detective**

 **(18th place) Wesley - The Blue Blood**

 **(17th place) Valerie - The Energetic Flirt**

 **(16th place) Shane - The Lone Wolf**

 **(15th place) Ivy - The Distant Cloud**

 **(14th place) Sarah - The Rocker Girl**

 **(13th place) Nelly - The Arrogant Nerd**

* * *

Chris can be seen standing alone at the elimination site, giving his trademark smile to the camera.

"That was a dramatic way to end a night." He remarked. "The last Invincibility Statue was used and on top of that was a tiebreaker! Things are surely going to get interesting from here. Is Tatiana safe now that her Statue has been used? Does Nataline feel safe knowing that the majority of her team voted for her? Where does Marvin's loyalties lie? And what will Jane do with her new asset? Find out next time on Total...Drama...Sci-fi Showdown!" He exclaimed with his arms spread as the camera turned off.

* * *

 **And there goes Nelly, the final pre-merge boot. As a character, she was meant to have a colorful personality that will somehow keep things lively in both her team and in the game itself. Her arrogant nature brought her many enemies but her talents got her some friends too. She may look like she was set for the merge but I felt like the merge spotlight isn't for her. She played a long game and I'm proud of how her character has been written. Sorry to all the Nelly fans out there, but this is the end of the road for her. Please review and tell me what you think of the merge cast now and I'll see you guys next time. :) XBloodLegendX**


	15. Chapter 15: The Aftermath Episode

**"The thing about roads is sometimes you happen upon them again. Sometimes you get another chance to travel down the same path." - Jill Santopolo, The Light We Lost**

* * *

"Last time on Total Drama Sci-Fi Showdown," Chris started as he stood at the entrance to a resort near the beach area across the Drama Dome's location. "The teams were placed in a large spaceship, with their goal being to escape on a single spacecraft located in a hanger. Armed with all the assets at their disposal, and Cyrus' useless knowledge he gained from their team's secret room, they clashed and created drama and chaos! But after a while of going back and forth, the Silver Terminators were the clear winners. This put the Cyan Protoss up for elimination and even though the majority wanted Cyrus gone, Lucy's schemes put Nataline on the chopping block. But with the help of an Invincibility Statue, the noble girl was spared, and a tiebreaker between Nelly and Cyrus. In the end, the emo boy got to stay for another day as the nerd took the fall." He smirked.

He spread his arms wide in a dramatic fashion. "But enough about them, it's time we go see the fallen. Let's see how they have been coping up these past few days so stay tuned on Total...Drama...Sci-Fi Showdown!" He finished with a flair.

* * *

The camera pans to an aerial view of the resort. It is luxurious in design, with a large creatively shaped swimming pool by the side and a beach front over at the end of the resort. There are a few infrastructures inside that made up the souvenir shop, the bar, and the rooms. There is a massive fountain and gazebo in the middle of the place, which in aerial view the entire place looks like a futuristic power core which fits the sci-fi theme. Chris entered the resort and scanned the place for the eliminated contestants.

"This episode will solely focus on the eliminated contestants and what they think about the game." Chris said to the camera. "There's Valerie and Wesley over there." He pointed to the gazebo, and sure enough the flirt and the rich boy were there, the former trying to flirt with the latter but he was too dense to pick up on her advances.

"You know, I like your clothes. It really suits you." Valerie batted her eyebrows, but only earned an appreciative nod from the boy.

"Why thank you. I personally chose this to be my clothes for this season." Wesley said with his usual charming smile. Chris approached the both of them and got their attention by clearing his throat.

"Ahem. Excuse me, but I'm gonna interview you guys for a while." Chris told them. 'It's for the fans."

"For the fans!?" Valerie looked surprised and then winked at the camera. "Heya! It's me, Valerie!" She said with a flirtatious tone.

"And I'm Wesley, though I'm sure we have all been properly acquainted." Wesley smiled while facing the camera, which made Valerie gush for a bit.

"Alright so I'm gonna ask a few questions before I move on." Chris told them.

"By all means." Wesley encouraged.

"Okay then. You know who the remaining twelve are, right?" Chris asked.

"Yep. We just saw Nelly get here last night so we all know who's left." Valerie answered.

"Good, because now I'm gonna ask you about who you think is gonna win." Chris smirked.

"Isn't it too early to decided on that?" Wesley asked with a tilt of his head. "Not only that, but we have not been able to watch them play the game."

"All we had were their stories." Valerie pouted. "And I don't believe some of them."

"Well too bad, that's the question." Chris shrugged. "So think of a potential winner right now." He urged.

"I say that I'm rooting for Nataline." Wesley smiled. "I believe she is playing a great game and I do hope she wins."

"Then I suppose I should inform you that Nataline got the most votes at the last elimination, and only Tatiana's Invincibility Statue saved her from going to this resort." Chris told Wesley. "But if you still think she deserves to win then go ahead. It's good to know she has supporters over here at least."

"Does nobody like her?" Wesley asked with a frown.

"Watch the season on tv and find out." Chris smirked. "How about you, Valerie?"

"I'm rooting for Phoebe!" Valerie exclaimed. "She totally deserves to win."

"Ah, that's the cute girl who resembles a porcelain doll right?" Wesley tried to remember.

"That's her. She's been doing her best and I wish she wins it all." Valerie said honestly. "Not to mention she plays a clean game."

"Yes, Phoebe has never doing any shady acts since she stepped off the bus and as always genuinely wanted to be better for her team." Chris nodded. "But they could be approaching merge already, so her efforts might be useless now." He laughed sadistically.

"Hey, that's mean. She'll find a way." Valerie pouted.

"Anyway, last question for each of you, starting with Wesley." Chris turned to the rich boy. "You eliminated because of a strategy spearheaded by Lucy and Terrance. What can you say about that?"

"I understood the circumstances of my elimination, as Ivy explained it to me when she got eliminated." Wesley nodded with his charming smile. "But I do not hold it against them. Surely they had a good reason for doing it, and I've never been one to hold grudges."

"So forgiving..." Valerie sighed dreamily as she stared at him.

"Next is for Valerie." Chris turned his attention to the flirt, who snapped back to reality. "Marvin and Phoebe got together now, any reactions?"

"Yes!" Valerie stood up and cheered.

"I'm happy for them." Wesley chimed in.

"I knew they would get together! They both deserve it!" Valerie beamed.

"Well that's about it then." Chris laughed. "Enjoy whatever you guys were doing, I suppose." He said dismissively as he headed for the poolside.

* * *

Chris reached the poolside and found Delilah, Harvey, Betty, and Sarah hanging out. Delilah wore a green one piece swimsuit with the design of a slithering snake across the back is currently on top of a float bed with a drink in hand. Harvey wore his simple gray swim shorts and wore his shades as he relaxed by a beach chair under an umbrella. Betty wore a polka dotted two piece with a short skirt, doing a swimming competition with Sarah, who is wearing a black bikini. Chris wemt over to the four of them.

"Attention! I came here to interview you all so get over here!" Chris ordered. They all stopped what they were doing and turned to face the host. "Good. Now let's start with something simple. Who do you think will win this game?"

"Arnold." Sarah exclaimed simply. "I'll always be rooting for him."

"Such loyalty." Betty complimented with a smile. "I'm rooting for either Jane or Tatiana." She took her phone from the table beside Harvey. "Maybe I should make this a poll." She excitedly typed away on her phone.

"Well I don't know what happened much in the game but since Arnold's still in the game then I root for him too. You know, because alliance member and all." Delilah shrugged. "I'm actually still pretty pissed that I left early."

"Well you can obviously blame Lucy for plotting that, and she's still in the game." Chris laughed. "I bet you want a second chance to get back at her."

"Darn right I do." Delilah frowned.

"And what about you Harvey?" Chris turned towards the boy that's still looking out over the pool. "Are you even listening?" He asked, annoyed.

"I am." Harvey replied casually. "And I think that Arnold can win. He's a pretty chill dude."

"Wow, look at all of Arnold's supporters." Chris smirked. "Now I'm tempted to tell you guys how he's doing in the game."

"Tell us." Sarah urged as she went up to Chris. The host had to back away to avoid getting soaked.

"Fine fine, he's playing aggressively now." He told her.

"But isn't that part of his nature?" Harvey asked as he lowered his shades a bit to look at Chris.

"I meant that he really went aggressive. He started relentlessly hurting the girls from the other team just to win the last challenge." Chris chuckled. "He really didn't like Sarah leaving so he's trying twice as hard to win."

"Yikes, that doesn't sound good." Delilah shook her head.

"Oh Arnold..." Sarah sighed to herself as she looked away in thought.

"Well enough about that." Chris said dismissively. "I have individual questions for all of you. Let's start with Delilah." He turned towards the girl with a smirk. "If you made it to the merge, what kind of strategy would you play?"

"Well I'm out anyway so I guess I can just say it here." Delilah sighed. "I was gonna play the cunning strategist game. I'll use whatever I can to get boys to do what I say then plant the seeds of doubt to those who oppose me. It's a simple villainous strategy but it works. I'm gonna be like a deceiving serpent." She said proudly.

"Yeah, your swimsuit says all." Sarah pointed out.

"Nice answer. Too bad the viewers won't get to see it in action." Chris laughed sadistically which made Delilah frown. "Next up is Harvey." The boy took off his shades and faced the host.

"Shoot it, my man." He nodded.

"Why are you always so chill?" Chris asked. "Your elimination went so smoothly it's pretty pathetic to be honest. This is Total Drama after all." He pointed out.

"I just think stressing out too much is gonna give you gray hairs faster, you know." Harvey answered. "Sometimes being too stressed makes you hate life, not enjoy it. I don't want that. I'm not about to go insane because I couldn't pass algebra yo."

"I can relate to that." Betty said solemnly. Sarah nodded as well and patted his shoulder.

"We feel you, brother." The rocker girl added.

"That's pretty deep." Chris remarked. "But still useless on a show like this." He shook his head. "You're up next, Betty."

"Hold on a moment." Betty said as she typed away at her phone. "My classmate Betsy just chatted me."

"I don't have all day you know." Chris said impatiently. He then snatched her phone and confiscated it.

"Hey!" Betty objected but the host held her back. "I gotta wait for her reply."

"I'll give it back after you answer my question." Chris told her irritably.

"Fine." Betty grumbled and crossed her arms. "Hurry up already." She urged the host.

"Your teammates voted you off mostly because you were always on your phone. Why do you always use it even during challenges?"

"I literally CANNOT live without my phone!" Betty exclaimed with emphasis on the word 'cannot'. "I need it to take pictures and chat with my online friends and everything! I kinda thought that a little checking here and there wouldn't hurt."

"A little? I could make Chef set up a montage of you using your phone on critical moments." Chris pointed out to her.

"It's that bad?" Betty frowned. Chris nodded. She looked at everyone else who only shrugged in response.

"Dude, the only people who would comment on this are your teammates yo." Harvey said in a clam voice.

"Then I'll go ask Wesley or Felix later." Betty sighed.

"Last is Sarah." Chris called for the rocker girl, who made air guitar sounds.

"Here!" Sarah waved her hand.

"Wow, nice way of establishing your presence." Chris shook his head. "Anyway, what do you see in Arnold?"

"You mean, as a boyfriend?" Sarah asked.

"Yeah, that. Why him?" Chris shrugged his shoulders. Sarah thought for a bit before snapping her fingers.

"I like his enthusiasm and his passion for what he does. It's not everyday you see someone so pumped up to do physical challenges or even care about team moral. I know this game caters to cutthroats so it's good to have a positive vibe every now and then because it's still a part of reality tv." Sarah answered honestly and seriously.

"Rocker dudette knows what's up." Harvey nodded in agreement.

"I can agree with that." Delilah chimed in.

"Same!" Betty exclaimed.

"That's actually a good answer." Chris blinked. "Honestly, I didn't expect thatk ind of answer from you."

"Hey." Sarah pouted. "Well at least you were honest about it." She grumbled as she crossed her arms.

"Well I'm done with you people and I have to interview the rest." Chris said dismissively as he walked away from the group.

"Notice how Chris doesn't immerse himself in our season?" Harvey suddenly asked them when he was out of earshot.

"I did notice that, yeah." Delilah realized. "It's like his only job here is to give out challenges and do eliminations."

"I do remember him being more sadistic and someone who likes making snarky comments so it is kinda weird." Betty added.

"But isn't that a good thing?" Sarah tilted her head. "We're basically the chill cast."

"Amen to that." Harvey grinned.

* * *

Chris went inside the bar to find Nicholas and Shane sitting inside by the counter. Both had a drink in hand and the contents indicated it was whiskey.

"Isn't it a bit too early to be drinking?" Chris smirked as he approached them and sat down on a seat between them.

"Isn't it a bit too early for you to start talking?" Shane countered as he took a sip of his drink.

"Respect the host, Shane." Nicholas scolded in an even tone. "He's obviously here for something. I deduce it has something to do with the aftermath and he's here to interview the both of us."

"Not bad. What else can you find out about my visit here?" Chris asked.

"I found out that you're not doing the interviews in order." Nicholas stated with confidence as he shook his drink a little, making the ice clink together. "Before I came in, I saw you conversing with Wesley and Valerie. The lack of sweat on your forehead indicated that you have not interviewed anyone else at that time, which is obvious given that they were 18th and 17th place respectively. You seem to only interview people as you go along and find them." He deduced. Chris look at him in surprise while Shane only scoffed.

"Get off your high horse." The loner boy muttered under his breath.

"Well you're right. I do interview people along the way." Chris admitted. "But who's to say that maybe I brought along a handkerchief to wipe my sweat?" He smirked.

"If you did, then strands of your hair will clearly be shown in messy ways and parts of your light make-up will be smeared. I can see that not a single aspect of that has changed since you came here." Nicholas stated as he glanced at the host's face. "And if you truly want to make a point, then go ahead and show us your handkerchief."

"Most of the time Chris really is all talk." Shane gave a side smirk as he finished his drink. "So let's get on with the interviews."

"Just for that comment, I'm gonna interview Nicholas first." Chris huffed and faced the detective, who finished his drink as well.

"Please, go ahead." Nicholas told him.

"Why are you so bent on observing the law so much that you used whatever power you had to try and take out Lucy, who simply did venial crimes?" Chris asked him.

"Ever crime must be punished, no matter how minor they may be." Nicholas stated evenly. "Without the hand of justice, there will be chaos and anarchy. The law is what keeps society intact. It is what preserves people's sanity." He continued.

"That's a dumb reason. You can't just catch and kill every criminal in the world." Shane scoffed.

"I'll do whatever it takes to make it so. The difference will be beneficial to all." Nicholas insisted without losing his cool.

"Well you answered the question. I could care less about what reality it becomes." Chris shrugged indifferently. "Alright Shane, your turn."

"Whatever." The loner boy rolled his eyes.

"Why do you refuse to work together with your teammates, even when they seem to get along in challenges?" Chris asked him.

"Because I don't care about teamwork." Shane answered as if it's the most obvious question in the world.

"That's it? Nothing else?" Chris tried to pry but only received an annoyed grunt.

"Nope. Now get lost." Shane growled a bit. "You're done, right?"

"Actually I still have one more and it's for both of you." Chris announced. "Who do you think is going to win the game?"

"Definitely not Phoebe." Shane rolled his eyes. "I honestly don't care who wins."

"For me, either Nataline or Jude deserves to win. I'd like to think they are working hard to be able to make it this far." Nicholas answered.

"Nice answer." Chris nodded towards Nicholas.

"I answered too." Shane pointed out.

"Your answer is worse than the others' actually." Chris shook his head as he stood up and left the bar.

"Piss off." Shane grumbled.

"Watch the language, Shane." Nicholas warned.

* * *

Chris went over to the souvenir shop to find Ivy, Nelly, and Felix inside and looking at a few items for sale. He smiled as he went inside and cleared his throat.

"Nelly! Felix! Ivy! This season's fan favorites!" He announced with a wide grin.

"Really? We're fan favorites?" Felix asked hopefully.

"Of course not." Chris chuckled. "What are you, part of the merge cast?"

"Technically, I was supposed to be part of the merge cast." Nelly said bitterly. "Stupid Tatiana had to use her Invincibility Statue on that rich girl. Emphasis on rich, by the way. What right does she have to compete over me!?" She complained.

"Well that's the beauty of Total Drama for you." Chris smirked. "Pure, random, and effective drama for everyone to enjoy. Your elimination just added to that." Nelly responded by stomping down on Chris' foot, making him cry out in pain. "Yowch!"

"He deserves it." Felix sighed. "So what is it you want anyway?"

"Just an interview." Chris said simply. "I'll ask you a general question first."

"Shoot." Felix nodded.

"Who do you think is going to win?" Chris asked them.

"My vote goes to Terrance." Nelly sighed. "He's the only decent person on my team. I don't know much about anyone on the other team plus I hate Arnold so yeah."

"Nice answer. What about you, Felix?" Chris asked the prankster. Felix thought for a moment.

"Desmond is still in the game, right? I guess I'm rooting for him since he's the only one who bothered to make me his alliance member." Felix shrugged. "I didn't stay long in the game, okay?"

"And what about you, Ivy?" Chris turned to the other girl only to find her staring blankly at a rack of sunglasses. "Ivy!" Chris said in a louder voice now. This brought her back to attention.

"Yes?" She asked in confusion with a tilted head.

"I said, who ado you think is going to win?" Chris asked in an annoyed tone.

"Oh, okay." Ivy nodded as she understood the question. "Let's see, maybe Phoebe is going to win. I mean, she did make it this far and is working hard for it." She explained.

"You don't think she might get overwhelmed by the others?" Chris asked.

"Not really. The merge is where people would normally turn their sights towards the challenge threats. This is the perfect opportunity for Phoebe to slip on by under the radar." Ivy said in a slightly distant tone.

"I wonder if she knows she can do that now." Nelly rolled her eyes.

"She probably doesn't." Felix shrugged. "Oh yeah, I was not able to prank her. It might be good."

"Or she could get a serious anxiety attack." Ivy frowned.

"Yeah that too." Felix admitted.

"Nobody cares whether Phoebe gets an anxiety attack or quits the competition." Chris interrupted. "What's important is that you answer my questions. First up is Felix."

"Well it's now or never." Felix said nonchalantly. "Go ask away."

"Do you regret not pranking anyone in the game?" Chris asked.

"Yes I do." Felix answered without hesitation. "I seriously wish I pranked someone in the game. But then again, I don't have my stuff with me."

"Cyrus pranked someone with just a banana peel." Nelly smirked.

"Who?" The prankster asked.

"Nataline." The nerd said with a small giggle. "It was pretty funny."

"I wish I saw that." Felix sighed.

"You can watch this season at home." Chris reminded him. "Enough of that for now because it's time for Nelly to answer hers."

"Just get it over with already." Nelly rolled her eyes. "I wanna go back to checking the souvenirs."

"What made you a nerd?" Chris asked bluntly.

"What do you mean by that?" Nelly narrowed her eyes at him.

"I meant, what made you interested in all this sci-fi stuff? One of your biggest advantages in the game is your knowledge regarding it which helped your team. Any comment on that?" Chris reiterated.

"I was always interested in that kind of stuff since I was little." Nelly answered. "I watched Back to the Future and Terminator, and played games like Bioshock and Starcraft. Seeing what science could become and imagining what we could do with such technology amazes me."

"I play games but I don't go all deep and contemplative about it." Felix shrugged.

"Well that's on you and you suck." Nelly snapped and huffed. "I'm clearly the better nerd here."

"I'm not even that much of a nerd." Felix shook his head.

"Isn't Terrance the biggest nerd here?" Ivy asked innocently. Nelly's face got flustered with anger and turned away from her without answering.

"Let's ignore Nelly for now." Chris said dismissively. "Last up is Ivy."

"Yes?" Ivy tilted her head.

"I was about to ask you why you always space out but you already answered that in a confessional." Chris admitted. "So here's another question, why did you join Total Drama?"

"Why did I join Total Drama?" Ivy repeated. "I originally came here for inspiration like Cyrus. But as I went on I realized that I do need the money in order for me to continue doing what I love."

"You don't think you'll make it big?" Felix asked.

"I want to be safe about it." Ivy stated.

"Too bad you can't support your dreams now." Chris gave a sadistic chuckle. "That's what you get for always dozing off."

"I know." Ivy frowned.

"Now since I'm done with you all I want you guys to gather back at the gazebo. Tell everyone to go." Chris ordered them.

"Sure." Felix nodded as he and the other two left the souvenir shop to go get the other eliminated contestants.

* * *

The eliminated contestants minus Richard all gathered around the gazebo when Chris arrived holding a small hologram device. He saw that almost everyone was present and so he placed it on the ground, prompting it to flicker to life and show a roulette with their face portraits on each slice of the circle.

"Now that everyone's here, we can start." Chris announced.

"I feel like we're missing someone yo." Harvey said as he glanced at his fellow eliminated contestants.

"We're missing Richard." Nicholas noticed.

"Who?" Nelly raised her eyebrow.

"Richard?" Valerie tilted her head in genuine confusion.

"You guys forgot about the first eliminated contestant, didn't you?" Chris smirked and waggled his finger. "Such bad friends."

"Hey we didn't see you go and interview him." Delilah defended.

"He didn't look interesting to interview." Chris countered.

"Now that's just mean." Ivy frowned.

"Yeah since Shane isn't interesting too." Nelly smirked. Shane glared and was about to go over to her when Nicholas stopped him.

"I swear I'll shut you up for good." Shane threatened.

"Keep making threats like that and I'll have to use violence on you." Nicholas said evenly to him. Shane sneered but backed away.

"Now that that's over, let's go back to what we're supposed to be doing." Chris got their attention again. Just then, Richard came running towards them. He stopped beside Chris and panted while he adjusted his wig.

"Why...wasn't I...informed of this?" He asked as he tried to catch his breath.

"I couldn't find you anywhere for your interview." Chris shrugged. "And I don't know why the others here didn't call you." He gave a side smirk towards the rest of teh contestants.

"I didn't forget about him yo." Harvey pointed out.

"But you still made no effort to go get him." Chris argued.

"Eh, fair enough." Harvey conceded.

"Go take a seat there." Chris told Richard as he pointed at a spot beside Valerie. The wig wearing boy obeyed and sat down beside the flirt, who made no attempt to flirt with him as she was too busy looking at Wesley. "Now then, I had you guys gather here so that we can determine the returnees for the merge."

"What?" Sarah widened her eyes. This was also met with collective gasps and murmurs.

"Such a fortunate turn of events." Wesley smiles.

"Finally, I have a chance to redeem myself." Delilah whispered to herself.

"Another chance at the million." Felix said excitedly.

"Don't get your hopes too high." Nelly rolled her eyes.

"Quiet!" Chris ordered. This made everyone shut up. "Good. Now obviously not every one of you will be brought back to the merge, so I will only bring back three returnees." He placed hi hand on top of the holographic wheel, but his touch made it feel and look so real.

"Just spin the wheel already." Shane said impatiently.

"Kill joy." Chris muttered before spinning the wheel. It spun for a long moment as everyone leaned forward a bit to see where it would land. It gradually became slower and slower until it finally stopped at someone's portrait. "Nicholas! You win a spot at the merge!" Chris announced to the detective.

"I am honored to be part of this show again." He gave a small smile and bow as he stood up.

"Stand beside me and don't sit with these losers." Chris smirked. "Don't worry, two more will join you." Nicholas obeyed and stood beside the host as he waited for him to spin the wheel again.

"Come on, please let it be me next." Valerie muttered hopefully.

Chris spun the wheel again. Everyone saw it get slower and slower and soon landed on Valerie's portrait.

"Yes!" The flirt cheered as she jumped up. Because of this, she accidentally hit Wesley in the face. "Oh no, I'm so sorry!" She apologized quickly as she covered her mouth.

"It is alright." Wesley said with a reassuring smile but Valerie still checked to see if he was alright.

"Oh thank God. I thought your beautiful face got damaged." Valerie breathed a sigh of relief before joining Nicholas over at the other side.

"Anyway, let's move on to the last returnee." Chris interjected.

"The suspense is killing me. I gotta tweet about this!" Betty exclaimed as she took out her phone and began snapping photos and a few selfies.

"Last returnee! Who will it be?" Chris said for dramatic effect as he spun the wheel again.

Everyone looked intently at the wheel as it gradually became slower, each hoping it would land on their portrait.

"And the last returnee is..." Chris started as the wheel came to a stop. "Felix!"

"Alright! Another chance to win it all!" Felix exclaimed with happiness as he cheerily went over to join the other two.

"That's right. The three of you have another shot at the million by joining the rest of the merge cast." Chris announced to them.

"Aw, this blows." Sarah frowned.

"Perhaps there is still next season." Wesley tried to say optimistically.

"Assuming you get chosen for it." Shane grunted as he stood up and began walking away from the group.

"Anyway, you guys can go do whatever you want. I'm done here. Too much exposure to loserville and I might get the infection." Chris smirked as he waved dismissively. He started walking back to the Drama Dome while Nicholas, Valerie, and Felix trailed behind him.

"Wait! What about my interview?" Richard called out as he ran up to the host.

"Don't care." Chris simply said as he brushed him off and continued on his way. The maestro just sighed dejectedly as he went back.

* * *

The four people entered the virtual world once more and looked around to see that it was still the same as when they left.

"Alright, so what should we take note of as we rejoin the rest?" Nicholas asked the host.

"Yeah like what happened to the others and about any alliances or threats or things like that." Valerie listed.

"I'm not telling." Chris shook his head with a sadistic grin. "It's your job to find that out yourself tomorrow."

"What? Seriously?" Felix gulped. "Out of the three of us here, I'm the one who left the earliest so I'm the most outdated one."

"Didn't you get the chance to ask the others?" Valerie asked.

"I did for some but the story is bits and pieces and you don't know if it's all believable." Felix said.

"That's a fair point. However, there isn't anything we can do about it." Nicholas looked around and saw two tall outposts a great distance from each other. "I'm assuming those are the Cyan Protoss and Silver Terminators outposts?" He asked the host.

"That's right. You won't be sleeping there for now though. Go ahead to the old Red Sith outpost and settle in, I'll see you in the morning." Chris ordered. "And if you try to disobey then your avatar will be brought back out and you'll be replaced." Chris warned as he flickered out of the world before anyone could answer.

"Well, this is gonna be hard for us." Felix sighed.

"Not for me, I'm just gonna talk to Cassie and the rest tomorrow." Valerie beamed. "Aside from me, there is no one from their alliance who got eliminated so I think they're still the biggest alliance there."

"I guess I can go talk to Desmond tomorrow." Felix thought out loud. "He's the only one I know there."

"I'm going to catch up with Nataline and see what I can learn. In the merge, many things can happen." Nicholas told them.

"Chris said that Nataline got the most votes last elimination." Valerie told him. "You should talk to her about it. Hey, maybe I can ask Cassie if she's willing to make an alliance with you two."

"That would be highly appreciated." Nicholas answered with a smile.

"What about me?" Felix frowned.

"You're aligned with Desmond right?" Valerie narrowed her eyes at him. "We don't like that guy, even though he's hot."

"That's true." Felix scratched his head. "Fine. Forget about it. I'll just go talk to whoever." He sighed and began walking in one direction.

"The Red Sith outpost is that way." Nicholas pointed at the other way. This made Felix stop then turn around.

"Oops." He scratched his head in embarrassment before going the right way. Valerie just giggled while she and Nicholas followed him.

"I hope we can have a good time in the merge!" The flirt exclaimed.

 **~Confessional~**

 **Felix:** I was voted out because my team thought I was a weak link. Well that's not fair since I never actually got to show my skills in the game. But now that I'm back, I'm gonna make sure I give it my 100 percent! No more holding back or playing passively, it's time to dish out some big moves!...And then prank them when I feel more comfortable about all this.

 **Nicholas:** If what Valerie said about Nataline is true, then a lot of major events transpired in this game that I am not aware of. I did not often get a chance to talk to the others regarding their eliminations, but I am certain that I can get the gist of it once I see them all again. It isn't that hard to take in the tension in the air. By the way, I noticed that the three of us come from each of the three original teams. I wonder if that is a mere coincidence. *he begins thinking deeply*

 **Valerie:** This is so exciting! I get to see all my friends and the cute boys again! I may not have helped Marvin get together with Phoebe but hey they made it work in the end. Now I need to think of ways to leave my mark in this game. *she winks at the camera* But seriously though, I hope I do well in the merge. The competition is gonna get tougher from here. I mean, these are the people who made it through the team phase so its gotta mean something, right?

 **~End Confessional~**

Chris stood at the entrance of the Drama Dome with his signature smirk. "Now that we know the three returnees, let's see if they'll make it through the merge and into the finals. Tomorrow will be a whole new day for the contestants, and yet the drama still continues! Will Nicholas continue on his mission to bring Lucy to justice? Will Felix be able to cling to Desmond for an alliance? What will Cassie's alliance do now that Valerie has rejoined them? Find out next time on Total...Drama...Sci-Fi Showdown!" He finished with a flair.

* * *

 **And there you have it! Nicholas, Valerie, and Felix are the three returnees in the merge. For all the fans of the other folks back at the resort, I'm sorry that your favorite guy or gal couldn't make it. I just felt like there isn't much to add to their story or that they won't be that interesting in the merge. As for the fans of these lucky three, I'm happy to say that your favorites are going to have another shot at winning this competition. Time to see what they can bring to the table, the table which hosts the merge cast of fifteen!**


	16. Bonus 1: Merge Cast

**Okay so I was kinda bored today and decided that I should at least make this story lively. I'm going to be posting the second chapter of the Forgotten Island story first and put this one on delay but afterwards, I'll post the actual merge chapter. For now though, you guys are going to have to settle to some of my ramblings. Mainly, a recap on everyone that made it to the merge plus the returnees. I wanna know if you have a potential winner in mind, and who the greatest threat might be. I wanna know if you're prepared to see their true colors and see just what they're made of. So without further ado, here are the merge contestants!**

* * *

 **Arnold Kicksalot: The Soccer Player**

Athletic and optimistic, the ace striker of the Green Bolts played strong and hard during the team phase even when Nelly was out to get him. He is romantically interested in Sarah and greatly helped the Blue Ardonians and the Silver Terminators through various physical challenges. And though he was always a part of the minor alliances, he still held strong and stayed in the game. The elimination of his girlfriend led him to be a more cutthroat player and less team oriented. The second half is here, so it's time for the kickoff!

 **Cassie Fernandez: The Ranch Girl**

She is a country gal from Spain with a fear of riding horses. Protective of her friends and talented with an acoustic guitar, she was the Green Drell's physical asset alongside Shane. She protected Phoebe from those who dare make her feel uncomfortable and was even the head of the biggest alliance in the Silver Terminators. She brought country-style methods in a world of sci-fi and made it to the merge. Without a target on her back and a lot of friends to count on, she will definitely have a great start at the merge. But when it comes to making big plays, will she draw first, or draw first blood?

 **Cedric "Cyrus" Brooks: The Emo Writer**

Some may remember him as the guy who kept tormenting Phoebe and who's overly annoying and hard to deal with, and others remember him as an up and coming writer. Actually, nobody cares about the second one. Everyone in the merge hates him. Except maybe Richard and Delilah but that's beside the point. What really made him stand out as a character though is the sheer fact he made it to the merge. Despite any attempt to take him out pre-merge, he simply survived all the eliminations. Not to mention he once held an Invincibility Statue, throwing off Lucy's calculations in the process. Will he continue to become a pest and a drifter in the merge, or will karma finally catch up to him?

 **Desmond Jaye Cooper: The Jack of All Trades**

Decently strong and also somewhat of a strategist, he drifted his way into the merge without any permanent allies by his side. He tried to manipulate certain people into following him and becoming his allies but the merge started too soon for him. Now with Felix back on the game, this is his chance to make a comeback and potentially make bigger plays. However, bigger alliances and nastier plots overshadow his own. It's about time the jack of all trades showcase everything he's got.

 **Felix Henderson: The Prankster**

The former 22nd place contestant in the show, the prankster returned to make the biggest prank of all. Or, you know, try to win. Yeah that works too. In fact it might actually be useful for him if he just showcased his talents and not make fun of people. Ironically, he hasn't done a single prank in the show. Well except maybe that one scene where he pranked Richard but that was in the intro song. Hopefully we get to see him take someone by surprise this time, maybe through invincibility challenges or strategical votes.

 **Jane Foster: The Survival Expert**

You could say her stereotype makes sense since she actually made it to the merge, but wouldn't it be great if she survived until the final three? Anyway, she mainly stood as the Red Sith's physical asset along with Desmond and Tatiana. She led the biggest alliance there and was also a part of Cassie's alliance during her time in the Silver Terminators. She is protective of Phoebe and was one of the girls that Terrance befriended. Or at least, here's hoping Terrance does see her as a friend. She'll enter the merge with good allies and less enemies, but the real survival test starts now.

 **Jude Justin Patterson: The Marksman**

The local archery expert with the eye of an eagle, he is Lucy's girlfriend who detests bullies. He is strong and reliable, often making good teamwork with the Blue Ardonians and later the Cyan Protoss. Though he is unaware of Lucy's other self and her complex strategic ways, he continues to support her while playing hard to win it for his poor family. With the return of Nicholas, will he make amends with his former alliance member or antagonize him for his resentment towards his girlfriend?

 **Lucy Woods: The Soft Spoken Strategist**

Currently the most powerful strategist in the show, her careful planning of eliminations in her head will soon be put into play should things go her way. Revealing her dark side early on, she masterminded many eliminations and her only real nuisances were the Invincibility Statues that were put into play. A few of the contestants saw her evil intents and tried to stop her, but they were unsuccessful as she made it into the merge. The return of Nicholas and the failed elimination of Nataline will surely haunt her in the next phase of the game but if she taught us anything, it's that evil doesn't die.

 **Marvin Barnes: The Curious Man**

His curious yet reserved nature gave him a passive role in the cast, but he managed to drift his way into the merge. He has no enemies and has fairly good allies to help him out. He also took an interest in Phoebe despite her liking Cyrus for a good amount of time. But his passive nature was tested when he was offered a deal from Desmond with promises of a fruitful outcome in the merge. Trapped between choosing to stick with Cassie's alliance or joining Desmond to get rid of the physical threats, his decision will need to be made quick if he wants to survive the merge.

 **Nataline Amity Louise: The Lady**

Hailing all the way from Belarus, this noble girl played the aggressive game during challenges and a rather passive game during eliminations. She was mostly on thin ice with some of her fellow contestants, but made it out by making a few friends that managed to keep getting her out of tight spots. Despite possessing various talents and skills, there were too many instances where she didn't get to shine. With only Tatiana and the returning Nicholas as allies and with Terrance and Lucy hot on her heels, can she make it through the merge or will her journey to prove herself end?

 **Nicholas Blackburn: The Detective**

One of the most physically strong and intelligent characters to ever set foot in Total Drama, his return will surely shake the foundations made for the merge. Due to an unexpected elimination with Lucy as the mastermind behind it, he was not able to make it to the team switch and make a mark for the merge. He's cold and logical yet has friends that have his back. Now that Nelly has been eliminated, he currently only has Nataline to turn to for safety. His thirst for justice can only be sated by eliminating Lucy, a difficult endeavor for someone who just returned. But of course, for him that's elementary my dear Watson.

 **Phoebe Marietta Cartwright: The Anxious Doll**

The cutest and most precious contestant to ever join Total Drama, her anxiety and weak physical capabilities make her a potential early boot and dead weight to her team. But surprise surprise, her cuteness and innocence allowed her to be protected by her stronger teammates and they carried her all the way to the merge. Not to worry because she spends her time trying to better herself so she'll be more prepared for what's to come. But seriously, anxiety is an issue and isn't to be taken lightly. But kudos to her because despite all that, she's starting the merge with a strong advantage. Maybe the universe smiles upon her.

 **Tatiana "The Chocobo Slayer" Quinn Fitzgerald: The 'Gamer Girl'**

Now we move on to one of the most eccentric cast members in the show. Tatiana's greatest mark during pre-merge is the fact that her asset, the mechanical chocobo, dominates everything. It was a huge help on many challenges and Tatiana used it well. Her positive attitude brought her a lot of friends and somehow managed to let Terrance soften up around her. Her game would continue to be strong if not for her asset being broken in the last challenge. With Terrance too busy to fix it and Lucy angry at her for letting Nataline stay in the game, how will she make her comeback? Or you know, GG for her.

 **Terrance Anders: The Techie**

Hey look, last two- I mean let's talk about Terrance now. The guy who hates girls but his pre-merge game basically revolves around them every time. The guy who hates popular people but apparently takes out all his frustration on Nataline only. Is that weird? Not my fault Kelly isn't an actual contestant. But despite these shortcomings, he has invented assets to make challenges easier for him and his team. He was the genius behind Tatiana's mechanical chocobo, and now he has revealed his latest invention, the psionic blade. Not to mention he's in an alliance with Lucy. Am I the only one who finds it weird that he can create things using technology that doesn't or has yet to exist?

 **Valerie Olivia Lovelock: The Energetic Flirt**

The flirt is back and ready to flirt more. The other eccentric character aside from Tatiana, her friendship with Cassie and Phoebe will greatly help her odds in the merge. Whether her flirting skills will be of use in the near future, we'll find out soon. Her entire pre-merge game revolved on an alliance and her ability to drift past eliminations, seeing as how the Green Drell lost only once. Her position became dangerous when a tie breaker happened and she lost to Shane in a duel, but luck turned back around when she came back and Shane didn't. Too bad it's a rated T fanfic and I can't put a scene where she takes someone to bed or even describe the scene or anything like that.

* * *

 **Rambling done. See you guys next time! :) XBloodLegendX**


	17. Chapter 16: When Lightsabers Clash

**"Whoever fights monsters should see to it that in the process he does not become a monster. And if you gaze long enough into an abyss, the abyss will gaze back into you." ― Friedrich Nietzsche**

* * *

 **~Theme Song (Merge)~**

The camera pans out to a sci-fi looking utopia with various places placed in perfect zoning. It quickly zooms in down to the area near a narrow river.

 _ **Dear Mom and Dad, I'm doing fine**_

Cassie, Jane, Valerie, Marvin, and Phoebe were walking along the riverbed, having a casual conversation.

 _ **You guys are on my mind**_

The camera switches to Nataline's room in a large mansion, where she was looking at a photo of her and a girl with long olive green hair and a black choker around her neck.

 _ **You asked me what I wanted to be**_

Terrance, Tatiana, and Felix are hanging out in the mansion's mechanic room, clearly working on an android. After a short while, the machine's eyes lit up.

 _ **And now I think the answer is plain to see**_

Arnold and Desmond are competing by doing push ups with Nicholas keeping count.

 _ **I wanna be famous**_

Lucy and Jude came by and the former blasted an airhorn, surprising Desmond and Arnold and making them fall. She laughed before running off with Nicholas chasing them.

 _ **I wanna live close to the sun**_

The scene changes the timeframe and it showed Cyrus atop a tree, writing down on his notebook as Cassie and Desmond argued below.

 _ **Go pack your bags, 'cause I've already won**_

Inside an android factory, Nataline was cutting through against combat machines with an electric powered steel edged parasol as Terrance stood at the far end of the room, his psionic blade ignited.

 _ **Everything to prove, nothing in my way,**_

Terrance and Nataline ran towards each other and were about to clash when the ceiling above them came down in between them.

 _ **I'll get there one day.**_

After the dust cleared, Phoebe was shown to be there accompanied by two silver and black automatons, with the silver one carrying her as the other was shown to wield dual blades and stared unblinking at Terrance and Nataline.

 _ **'Cause I wanna be famous,**_

The camera panned to where Tatiana was fighting against both Jude and Arnold at the same time with lightsabers drawn.

 _ **Na na na na na na na na na na na na na na na**_

They were interrupted when blaster shots whizzed past them. They all turned to see Lucy running at them with dual blaster pistols, her red eye glowing. Tatiana was shown deflecting the next few shots and one of them hit Arnold in the shoulder, making him cry out in pain.

 _ **I wanna be, I wanna be, I wanna be famous**_

The camera switched scene to see Valerie trying to flirt with Nicholas, who only raised his eyebrow at her as he raked his silver hair.

 _ **I wanna be, I wanna be, I wanna be famous**_

The scene changed and this time Felix, Jane, and Marvin were seen covering each other's backs as they were surrounded by aragami. All three had their God Arcs at the ready as they prepared to fight them.

 _ ***whistle***_

The merge cast can now be seen whistling while gathered around a campfire built in the middle of a post-apocalyptic city, with fighter jets and giant machines fighting in the background. Marvin and Phoebe sat in the middle, awkwardly staring at each other with no one making the first move. A large hologram in digital neon letters of cyan and silver flickered above them with the words 'Total Drama Sci-Fi Showdown: The Merge'.

* * *

"Last time on Total Drama Sci-Fi Showdown," Chris started with a wide grin as the camera panned in. "An aftermath episode was dedicated to the eliminated, and we got to see their reactions about the show and saw what they did during their stay there. We also asked them about who they think will win, and lastly, got them all hyped up after revealing to them about the three returnees for the merge."

The large hologram in the Drama Dome shone up to reveal the full body portraits of Nicholas, Valerie, and Felix. "Nicholas is known as a terrifying physical and strategical threat, able to lead his team in challenges that require strategy and heavy physical effort. He was a force to be reckoned with and his team definitely wanted to keep him around, until he screwed up by targeting Lucy too early." The hologram showed his his efforts to eliminate Lucy and his elimination that same night.

"And next we have Valerie, the resident flirt who made it to the team merge of two." The hologram showed Valerie and all her highlights in the show. "She was friends the biggest alliance on the Silver Terminators team and was supposed to cruise on by with them until a tie breaker happened between her and Shane which resulted in her elimination. That in turn resulted in the team being a bit more gloomy."

The hologram now showed Felix and his very few highlights. "And lastly, we have Felix the prankster. Out of all the returnees, he spent the least amount of time on this show, making him the less known and remembered. Not much is said about his talents and skills due to is early elimination so consider him the dark horse for the merge."

Chris spread out his arms in a dramatic fashion. "It's time for the merge and the competition is getting even harder. Will the returnees make a difference? How will the others react to it? Will strategies change? Will the drama intensify? Find out now on Total...Drama...Sci-Fi Showdown!"

* * *

It is early dawn in the virtual world, with everyone still asleep in their respective outposts. The whole place started to flicker in blue sparks, binary codes emerging through various objects and plants. Soon, even the outposts flickered and faltered, all of the virtual world morphing into something new. Objects and organisms shrunk and grew. The scenery altered into something completely different. After a long while, it became a completely different world. It now had mountain ranges and a desert, with plains to the far end. There is a great monolith sitting at the center of the new land, and hovering atop it rose an old and ancient temple tall enough to look like it rose above the planet. Made up of eight tall minarets and a pool at the center, it stood and housed the twelve contestants who thought they were still asleep in their outpost.

Everyone's clothing were altered so that they were already wearing their usual clothing, but their beds and pillows were removed and so they slept on the cold marble and stone. Chris' hologram appeared hovering above the pool. He raised his hand slowly and then the water swirled upwards, matching the speed of his raising palm. It continued to swirl and danced gracefully before stopping as Chris stopped moving his palm. He abruptly closed it, sending jets of water towards the contestants and splashing them all.

"What the hell!?" Arnold cursed as he immediately sat up, now soaking wet. The rest of the contestants followed suit, each with similar reactions to the rude awakening they received.

"E-Eeek!" Phoebe shrieked as she stood up and looked around frantically. "W-What's happening!?"

"I swear if this is Cyrus' new idea of a prank-" Nataline glared at the emo boy who raised his hands defensively.

"That wasn't me. I got soaked too you know." He defended.

"I know who did it." Jane glared towards the hologram floating above the pool, and everyone else followed her gaze.

"Of course it's Chris. Why am I not surprised?" Lucy rolled her eyes as her red eye glowed angrily.

"Got you guys there." Chris laughed. "Witness the power of the Force!"

"The Force? Seriously?" Terrance groaned as he tried to shake off the water from his glasses before wiping it. "This is obviously special effects."

"Maybe." The host shrugged. "But this is in theme of our next challenge."

"What? Splashing each other with water?" Jude raised an eyebrow.

"I'll tell you guys after this next announcement." Chris said irritably.

"Is it the fact we're merging?" Desmond deadpanned. "Because I'm sure everyone knows that already. We're half the cast after all."

"Is that all you know? But that isn't everything yet." Chris smirked.

"What do you mean? Is there a twist to this?" Marvin asked.

"Yes there is, Marvin." Chris said. "But I'll give you two guesses what it is."

"Is it a rest day?" Cassie guessed.

"No." Chris deadpanned. "Why would I give a rest day so freely like that?"

"Then maybe we all get free assets!" Tatiana cheered.

"Of course not. I want those without assets to suffer horrible or be creative." Chris said as if it's the most obvious thing in the world.

"Is Sarah coming back?" Arnold asked hopefully.

"Well you're almost right there, Arnold." Chris said. "The twist is that some eliminated contestants will compete again, but none of them is Sarah." He laughed.

"Aw man." Arnold frowned and sighed heavily.

"Exactly how many people will come back?" Lucy asked with a slight glare that nobody seemed to notice except for Terrance.

"And how is this fair?" The techie boy crossed his arms.

"It isn't. That's why it's fun." Chris chuckled as he snapped his finger. Three beams of light shone down on the marble floor in front of the contestants, silhouettes slowly forming from there. "Everyone, please welcome our three returnees for the merge!" He announced.

The beams of light ceased and left behind Nicholas, Felix, and Valerie. All the contestants got mixed reactions upon seeing them, and they started murmuring.

"Of all the people..." Lucy muttered under her breath as she glared at Nicholas, who caught her staring and gazed back at her evenly.

"Hello, Lucy." The detective greeted.

"Felix? Is that you?" Desmond said with widened eyes as he saw his former alliance member standing there in front of him.

"Don't worry guys, your reinforcements have arrived." Felix grinned confidently.

"Um, pretty sure only Desmond is happy to see you." Jane rolled her eyes.

"Heya!" Valerie greeted to her old alliance.

"V-Valerie!" Phoebe grinned upon seeing her friend.

"Howdy, Valerie." Cassie tipped her hat forward with a smile. "It's 'bout time you rejoined us."

"Alright alright, you can catch up on old times later. We still got a challenge to do." Chris said impatiently.

"But what about breakfast?" Marvin raised his hand to ask.

"Oh you'll be eating something, alright." Chris grinned. "You'll be full with the Force!"

"Can this day get any more awkward?" Cyrus sighed.

"For once, I agree with you." Jude shook his head as he stared at the host.

"Look just be quiet for a while and let me explain." Chris said irritably. "Today's challenge is lightsaber combat." Terrance's eyes lit up and so did Tatiana's.

"Really!? Is this for real!?" Tatiana bounced up and down. "Yes! I've been waiting for something like this!"

"Lightsaber combat? You mean like the one in Star Wars?" Jude asked.

"This has suddenly gotten interesting." Terrance adjusted his glasses as he grinned widely.

"Excuse me but what is this lightsaber combat?" Nataline asked.

"That's right, I forgot some people here are not in the loop." Chris nodded as he realized this. "Lightsaber combat is when you use these futuristic weapons to fight your opponents. They have a color scheme and sounds and everything."

"Nice way of explaining it." Felix chuckled.

"Quiet." Chris scolded the prankster. "As I was saying, most of these weapons are in the form of swords. You'll be given a variety of lightsabers to choose from, as well as the color scheme you want." He explained. He snapped his fingers again and a long table materialized in front of them, atop it are the various kinds of lightsabers. A machine materialized next to it, with different kinds of colored buttons on one side and a small tube in the other.

"This looks really fun!" Valerie cheered. "Do we get to choose if we're Jedi or Sith too?"

"This is the merge. It doesn't matter which faction you align." Chris shrugged. "Just hack and slash."

"Actually there's more to that than just-" Terrance started but Chris waved dismissively at him.

"I don't wanna hear it, geek." The host interjected. "Just choose your weapon already so we can get started." He pointed at Nicholas. "Starting with you." He said. The detective shrugged and went to the long table, walking while looking at the different types of lightsabers on display.

"Can I not use a blaster gun instead?" He asked Chris.

"Nope." Chris shook his head. Nicholas continued looking until he picked up a regular lightsaber. "I'll take this." He decided.

"Good. Now go over to that machine and put it on the tube." Nicholas did as he was told. "Then you press the button depending on what color you want it to be." The detective nodded as he understood the instructions. He went and pressed the blue button, and soon the streak of blue light shone down on the lightsaber for a few seconds before dispersing and leaving it as it was. He picked it up and turned it on, revealing a blue lightsaber.

"Cool." Tatiana squealed. "My turn, my turn!" She exclaimed as she went over to the table and picked out her weapon. She eventually picked out two lightsabers and excitedly went to the tube and shoved the two weapons inside. She pressed the red button and after the light dispersed, she got them and turned them on, revealing red dual lightsabers.

"Wait, we can do that?" Jane widened her eyes.

"That's right. You can have as many as you want, just as long as you can handle it of course." Chris chuckled.

"I'd rather not risk it, y'all." Cassie looked at Jane as she went forward and went for a weird looking lightsaber. "What's this?"

"That's a lightwhip." Chris told her. "It's like a lightsaber but it's longer and acts like a whip." He shrugged his shoulders.

"Looks hella strong." Casie grinned and took it then placed it at the color tube. She pressed the green button which got her the green lightwhip.

"I think I'll take that too." Jane smirked as she got a similar lightwhip and placed it in the tube. Instead of green, however, she pressed the red button.

"Good luck with those." Terrance muttered as the two girls went back to stand with the group.

"I think I'll go next." Felix said as he stepped forward to choose his lightsaber. His gaze fell upon a certain lightsaber that had a ringed emitter around the handle. He picked it up and saw that it has two ends, making it a double bladed lightsaber. "Hey Chris, what's this?"

"It's a sort of unique lightsaber with two blades and can spin on its own." Chris shrugged. "Sorry I'm not a geek."

"That's the lightsaber the Inquisitors use in that show, Star Wars Rebels." Tatiana remembered. "I don't actually suggest you use that. It's pretty difficult to wield."

"But it can spin on its own. It has to be cool." Felix defended as he placed it on the color tube and pressed the red button.

"I can already tell who's dying early." Terrance sighed.

"Yeah, it's you." Nataline said confidently as she stepped forward after Felix went back to the group. "Mine will be the one to cut you down." Terrance just glared at her comment as she picked up a regular lightsaber with a slightly curved blade. She went to the color tube and pressed the blue button which got her the blue lightsaber.

"We'll see about that." Terrance scoffed and went to go next. He carefully scanned the table full of lightsabers before picking up a lightsaber with a longer hilt then the regular ones. "The light-longsword." He grinned as he put it in the tube then pressed the blue button. He brought it to life the moment he got the finished result and Tatiana widened her eyes at the longer blade.

"What? Is that a new lightsaber or something?" The marksman asked.

"More like a variation of one." Terrance said as he did a few practice swings."

Nataline simply rolled her eyes. "So what if it's longer? It's not the size that matters, it's the performance." Everyone just gave her weird looks. Tatiana couldn't stifle a giggle and Lucy shook her head slowly but was grinning. Most of the guys looked a bit flustered, with Terrance looking so dumbstruck by her comment. "What? What is it?" She demanded. Finally realizing what she said, she blushed in embarrassment. "H-Hey! It's not what you guys think."

"Sure it isn't." Cyrus gave an amused scoff.

"Boys, take notes." Valerie chimed in teasingly.

"Can we just get a move on already?" Nataline crossed her arms and pouted.

"Then I'll go next if no one minds." Jude stated as he stepped forward. He looked at the array of lightsabers before picking up a double bladed one. "This looks cool enough." He muttered as he went to the tube and placed his weapon inside. He pressed the yellow button and out came his yellow double-bladed lightsaber.

"Bold choice. You sure you wanna go with that?" Chris asked the marksman.

"Yeah. It'll help me fight off multiple enemies." Jude said as he rejoined the others. "I suspect there will be lots of those in this challenge."

"He brings up a good point." Jane thought to herself.

"I wanna go next!" Valerie volunteered as she skipped over to the table. "My guy friends are hyped about this lightsaber thing so I wanna join the trend too."

"Why does that remind me of Betty for some reason?" Felix thought aloud.

Valerie picked out a regular lightsaber and pressed the green button once the weapon was inside the tube. She opened it afterwards and did a few strokes. "This is pretty cool." She giggled.

"Okay now who's next?" Chris turned to look at those who haven't picked yet.

"Might as well do my turn." Marvin shrugged. He went and got a regular lightsaber like Valerie, and pressed the green button to give him a similar green lightsaber.

"Did you just copy me?" Valerie pouted a bit when she saw Marvin turn on his weapon.

"Technically, mine is light green." Marvin pointed out. Sure enough, his lightsaber was a lighter shade of green than Valerie's.

"Almost everyone has a weapon now." Chris noticed. "Hurry up already so we can start." He told them.

"Fine. Let's just get this over with." Cyrus droned as he stepped up to the table and just grabbed two regular lightsabers and placed only one in the tube before pressing the blue button. Once he got his blue lightsaber, he placed the other one inside and pressed the red button to give him a red lightsaber.

"Mixing it up, are we?" Jane smirked.

"Making it colorful won't make you win." Lucy added.

"Shut up." Cyrus grunted at both of them as he went to stand a bit away from the rest of the group.

"Time for me to pick out mine then." Arnold stated as he boldly went forward. "Something flashy yet strong." He said to himself as he started to choose. He got a double bladed lightsaber like Jude and put it in the tube. He pressed the green button without hesitation and out came his green double bladed lightsaber. "Might as well represent my soccer team's color." He shrugged.

"Ya wanna go next, Phoebe?" Cassie asked the doll faced girl. Phoebe shook her head with a frown.

"N-No. I'm s-still a bit unsure." She answered.

"If she won't go first then don't mind if I do." Desmond said as he went up to the table. "Something practical that isn't the regular one." He then took interest in a lightsaber that had two power vents on its side. "Hey Chris, what's this lightsaber?" He asked.

"It's a crossguard lightsaber." Tatiana answered instead. "It has these two smaller blades beside the primary blade to act as a guard for the user's hand, oh and it helps in offense too."

"Why did you answer him?" Terrance groaned. He saw Desmond nod with a grin and took it to the tube. "Now he's gonna use it!" Tatiana immediately covered her mouth.

"Oops." Was all the gamer girl said before Desmond rejoined them with his red crossguard lightsaber.

"Only Phoebe and Lucy have yet to choose their lightsabers." Chris announced. "What will it be, girls?"

Lucy took a glance at Phoebe, who still seemed unsure whether to choose hers. With a sigh, the red eyed girl went to the table. "Might as well." She said. "Now that I've seen the others' picks, this should be good." She added under her breath. She went to grab two lightsaber tonfas. Placing it in the tube, she pressed the black button at the bottom of the palette and out came her black lightsaber tonfas.

"Hmm, it's an interesting choice." Nicholas spoke up as Lucy opened her lightsabers and held it with the blades pointing back along her arms.

"What's that?" Nataline wondered.

"I think it's called the guard shots?" Tatiana tried to remember.

"Guard shoto." Terrance corrected. "Or otherwise called a lightsaber tonfa. A short lightsaber with a perpendicular grip. I'm surprised she didn't just choose the normal lightsaber shoto." He adjusted his glasses.

"I don't know much about lightsabers, but I can tell she has a defensive advantage." Marvin said while looking at Lucy's lightsabers. "This could be bad."

Chris looked at Phoebe. "You're the last one. Get moving already."

"O-Oh." Phoebe frowned a bit as she stepped forward to look at the lightsabers displayed on the long table. She passed by each one until she found a regular lightsaber. She picked it up but found that it was too heavy for her. "W-What can I use?" She searched a bit more and found a relatively shorter lightsaber than the rest. Picking that up, she found that it was lighter and can be wielded by only one hand. She placed it in the tube and pressed the yellow button, giving her the yellow lightsaber shoto.

"Hey look, it matches part of her dress." Valerie noticed and grinned. This made Phoebe smile a bit.

"I k-know. That's why I chose t-this color." The doll faced girl said.

"It's as short as Lucy's lightsaber. I wonder what it's called." Desmond wondered.

"That's the lightsaber shoto." Terrance answered simply. "It's mainly used as an off hand weapon but some people use it when they can't lift a regular one."

"Can she fight with that?" Arnold scratched his head.

"Don't underestimate her." Jane scoffed.

"It's still a small lightsaber." Desmond shrugged. "She won't last long."

Phoebe frowned more and rejoined Cassie and Jane. Cassie glared at Desmond and was about to confront him when Chris interrrupted.

"Save the anger for the challenge. It's really gonna help." The host smirked. "It's time to explain how this challenge will work." He snapped his fingers and a hologram materialized in front of them. It showed three places. One was the mountain ranges, the second was a dense forest, and the third was in the desert.

"Are we gonna be fighting there?" Marvin asked.

"Right-o!" Chris exclaimed. "I will divide you into three groups for each of these battlefields. The ultimate goal here is to survive and be the last one left standing. The winner will receive the first merge immunity and therefore cannot be eliminated tonight. That sounds clear enough?"

Jane raised her hand. "These places look to be far apart from each other. How will we hunt down the others?"

Chris smirked. "I'm glad you asked. The last two contestants from each battlefield will be transported back here at these grounds to fight to the death. Call it the championship round."

"You're enjoying this, aren't you?" Cyrus rolled his eyes.

"To be honest, I like seeing lightsaber fights especially in the movies." Chris shrugged. "But knowing you guys, it might not be as great."

"We'll see about that, won't we?" Nicholas said evenly. "The challenge has yet to start."

"Then let's get this show on the road!" Chris said. "For the group that will scale the rough mountain ranges." The hologram reformed into five portrait slots. It showed the pictures of Nicholas, Lucy, Terrance, Nataline, and Felix.

"Oh?" Lucy raised her eyebrow with a sinister grin.

"I can work with this." Nicholas said.

"Really? I'm in the same place as him again?" Nataline pouted and sighed.

"Don't worry, you won't be for long once I'm done with you." Terrance scoffed and adjusted his glasses.

"Is that a challenge?" Nataline glared at him.

"It is!" The techie boy shot back.

"Can we please calm down for a bit?" Felix tried to ease the tension.

"No!" They both shouted in unison.

"Alright! Back to me!" Chris said impatiently. "Next is the group who will traverse the difficulty dense forest." The portrait slots changed and showed the pictures of Marvin, Phoebe, Cassie, Cyrus, and Tatiana.

"Yeah! This is gonna be so awesome!" Tatiana cheered. "Many ways to do lightsaber fights in a forest."

"At least one of us is happy." Cyrus rolled his eyes.

"Don't ya worry so much, Phoebe." Cassie turned to the doll faced girl. "I'll protect ya from Cyrus."

"O-Okay." Phoebe nodded.

"Sheesh, I'm over here you know." The emo boy sighed.

"And I'll help eliminate the opposition." Marvin said. "That is, assuming I can understand how to fight with this." He stared at his weapon.

"And lastly, the team who will walk upon the sands of death." Chris said. The slots showed the portraits of Jude, Desmond, Jane, Arnold, and Valerie.

"I should be fine. I remember going on a desert once with my family." Jane shrugged.

"Too bad my team never actually trained here." Arnold sighed. "Oh well, I'll manage it with my toughness." He flexed a bit.

"Wait, who trains in a desert?" Desmond asked.

"I know a couple of people." Arnold answered.

"Do you wanna team up for this?" Valerie asked Jane. The latter shrugged her shoulders.

"Sure, why not. But don't expect any mercy when it's time to go back here." Jane smirked. Valerie winked.

"I won't." The flirt replied.

"Hunt and conquer. This should be straightforward." Nicholas said.

"Well I guess I can tell you this now. The desert group are the lucky ones." Chris grinned.

"Why? Is it because they're more out in the open?" Lucy raised an eyebrow.

"Not really." The host shook his head. "It's still a surprise for now."

"Can we just start now?" Cyrus sighed.

Chris snapped his fingers and all of them were enveloped in a bright light. "When you all spawn in your locations, the challenge automatically begins. May the Force be with you." He smirked and they were all transported away.

 **~Confessional~**

 **Phoebe:** I'm n-not really good at this s-sort of thing. My sister a-and I used to watch Star Wars when w-we were little, but we never took that much interest i-in it. *she shivers in fear*

 **Jude:** Too bad I wasn't in the same group as Lucy. I really wanted to protect her and help her reach the next part of the challenge. I hope she'll be fine on her own at least.

 **Cyrus:** Sometimes I see the kids and teenagers in my neighborhood play with toys that look like these. *he ignites his lightsabers* So you could say I picked up a few things after watching them. They kinda suck though.

 **~End Confessional~**

* * *

 **(Mountain Ranges)**

Nicholas opened his eyes as he felt the rocky ground beneath him. Glancing around, he deduced that he was at an entrance of a small cave in one of the mountain ranges. He carefully analyzed his surroundings but found no sign of the others. Rocks and boulders of varying sizes decorated the place with no sign of plant life. The detective saw a few mountain trails that he could follow in order to proceed.

"Should I go find them?" He muttered to himself. "Staying here is a good idea too until Chris decides I'm eligible for the next phase. He didn't really say we should go out and duel. Just survive." He continued his monologue. Just then, he saw a silhouette of a person running along a rocky path just ahead of him. He found out that it was Lucy heading for the largest mountain range in sight. "Interesting." He silently followed her.

 **~Confessional~**

 **Nicholas:** I have to make sure that what she's planning won't happen. I learned that she can be devious even in challenges, and so I cannot let my guard down. Not anymore.

 **Lucy:** Yeah I'm completely aware that Nicholas is following me. *she grins maniacally as her red eye glowed*

 **~End Confessional~**

Over at another part of the area, Nataline was walking around while keeping her eyes peeled for anyone else. Her lightsaber had already been ignited and positioned in front of her as if to hold a defensive stance while walking. She experimented slashing at small rocks and slicing them apart. "This is pretty fun." She giggled to herself. She then heard noises from above her. Looking up, she saw Felix hovering above her, his ringed lightsaber propelling him in the air.

"Hey Nataline!" The prankster waved with his free hand as he landed in front of her.

"How did you learn to do that?" The lady tilted her head. Felix shrugged.

"I just turned on this button that makes it twirl around automatically. I got scraped a few times trying to control my flight but I got the hang of it easily." He said proudly.

"Well have you seen the others?" Nataline asked.

"Not really. You're the first one I saw. But you don't have to find them anymore." Felix smirked as he stopped making his lightsaber spin. "En garde!"

"I don't think that opening line fits in these sorts of things." Nataline frowned a bit as she took on an offense stance.

"Who cares? Let's get it on already!" Felix laughed as he charged forward first, jumping high into the air and slashing down at her. Nataline blocked the attack and held it in a saber lock before Felix made his lightsaber spin again and knocked them both back. The prankster couldn't find his footing in time and accidentally cut himself in the hip with his own weapon. "Argh!" He screamed in pain.

"I see that you have yet to master how to wield your lightsaber." Nataline noted. "I suppose flying is the best you can do." She smirked as she regained her stance.

"I'll get the hang of it too." Felix pouted and slowly regained his balance and prepared for her attack. Nataline charged forward with her lightsaber positioned to deliver a downward diagonal slash. Felix thought fast and blocked her attack but was not able to counter it. She followed it up with an upward slash and stepped forward to keep up the pressure. Felix block her next attack and the ones that came after, slowly getting the hang of how to use his lightsaber.

"Come on, just die already." Nataline frowned as she stepped forward again. This time, however, Felix managed to spin his lightsaber to deflect her attack and throw her off guard long enough for him to get betting footing. "What!?"

"Almost there. Just a little more practice." Felix said as he kicked her back. The lady staggered back and immediately went for a defensive position just as Felix threw his lightsaber at her.

"Practice? How dare you!" Nataline glared at him as she ducked his flying lightsaber right in the nick of time. She spun to the side after realizing it came back around to try hitting her in the back. "I'm not some practice dummy for you to get stronger."

"I figured as much. You're pretty good at this too." Felix admitted as he caught his lightsaber. "But it's time to get serious now." He laughed and was about to take the offensive when a loud roar can be heard from the distance. Rumbling in the ground is felt and they both turned to see a giant, ugly looking creature emerge from behind some large rocks. It tore down the obstacles blocking its path and storm towards them, letting out another menacing roar.

"What the heck is that!?" Felix stood there in fright and shock as the creature turned its attention to the prankster and began storming towards him, its huge arm raised to crush him.

"I need to get away." Nataline took this opportunity to back away and hide behind some large boulders to avoid the creature's wrath. Felix wasn't able to find a hiding spot in time and just began to run like hell out of there, the creature hot on his heels. Panicking, he turned on the automatic spin for his lightsaber and tried to fly away, but the creature's arm managed to catch him off the air and crush him, his avatar disappearing.

Nataline's eyes widened in horror but kept still in her hiding spot, waiting for the large creature to pass by without noticing her. A minute after the ordeal, Chris' hologram appeared beside her and he laughed. "Like it? That's a Rancor."

"A what?" The lady looked at him weirdly.

"A Rancor." The host repeated. "It's a, um, a local around here." He laughed more.

"Was that the surprise you meant to show us?" Nataline asked as she looked around to see if the coast was clear.

"That's correct. But don't worry, there's only one of it." Chris assured as his hologram flickered out before Nataline could ask any more questions.

 **~Confessional~**

 **Felix:** Seriously? Getting taken out by that creature really sucks! And I was getting used to my lightsaber too. But hey, at least I know how Nataline fights. She's pretty competitive if you ask me, even more so than the last time I remember.

 **Nataline:** I should play it safe for now and find cover whenever I can. I can worry about Terrance after I'm sure I have the upper hand. But then, I wouldn't have to worry anymore. *she giggles*

 **~End Confessional~**

* * *

 **(Desert)**

Arnold and Valerie were staring each other down as they were in their battle positions. The desert was calm for the moment, making it easy for them to see their surroundings.

"You're not making it fair." Valerie pouted. "You have two blades and I only have one."

"I highly doubt you can wield a weapon as heavy as mine." Arnold taunted.

"Doesn't mean you'll win though." Valerie pointed out as she slowly walked forward while maintaining a defensive stance. She started with short blows and strikes yet Arnold was able to block them with ease. He used his shoulder to push her back and keep the distance.

"By the way you attack, I'm confident I will." Arnold said confidently as he took on the offensive. To his surprise, despite the flurry of attacks he did with his two blades, Valerie blocked and held her ground pretty well. She parried some of his hits and made sure to keep a good defensive stance.

"It's hard fighting in the sand okay." Valerie insisted. Arnold didn't let up and continued to launch attack after attack with excellent footwork, losing more and more confidence as he saw how good Valerie is. The latter continued to block with relative ease and used her steady stance to refrain from being off balanced. "My turn!" She cheerily said as she launched her own offense.

"Darn it." Arnold cursed as she managed to slash at his gut a bit. His relentless assault made him tired and unable to defend well, so all he could do was step back and try to whiff some of her attacks. Valerie did a few flips and jumps to get him even more confused. He desperately tried to fall back but the flirt's footwork was simply too quick for him to keep up.

"Hey look at that! I'm winning!" Valerie giggled and delivered one final slash across his chest right after deflecting his last attempt to counterattack.

Jane ran towards the sound of combat, and looked on in shock as she found Arnold's avatar flicker out with Valerie drawing back her lightsaber. "Valerie?"

"Heya!" Valerie waved to her. Jane blinked and went over to her. "Just won a battle. No big deal."

"Well yeah but that's Arnold." Jane pointed out. "No offense but I didn't think you'd come out on top."

"Well sometimes I like being at the bottom too." Valerie winked and giggled. Jane just looked at her deadpanned. "But it's really no big deal. I got somewhat of an experience with blades."

"Well that's good. Makes it easier to watch each others' backs." Jane shrugged her shoulders and looked around at the bare desert. "No one else is here so let's keep moving."

"Sure!" The flirt skipped over to her friend to catch up, though she stopped when she suddenly tripped due to the blanket of sand that caused her imbalance.

 **~Confessional~**

 **Jane:** Valerie must be pretty good with a lightsaber if she can defeat Arnold in a fight. Well that makes fighting her soon all the more worthwhile.

 **Valerie:** My father is pretty big on swords, so I learned a thing or two from him and the movies that he always watches. I actually didn't expect to win that fight but hey, I'm not complaining!

 **~End Confessional~**

Over at another part of the desert, Jude walked alone, his double bladed lightsaber ignited. He wiped the sweat off his brow as he went along. "This heat, I swear." He muttered dryly as he sighed to himself. "Wait, is that-?" He saw what looked to be two silhouettes in the distance. He ran towards it in hopes to finding someone else but got held back when a rush of air blew sand his way. He shielded his eyes but upon looking ahead again, he lost sight of it.

"Maybe it's just a mirage." He stomped his foot down in frustration. Another rush of air carrying sand swept by, this time catching the marksman in the eyes. "Ah come on!" He rubbed his eyes to be rid of it not knowing there was someone sneaking up from behind him.

"And…done." Desmond ignited his lightsaber and aimed to stab Jude in the back. The marksman reacted fast and spun around in time before the attack hit and was about to launch his own attack when Desmond disarmed him by efficiently cutting off his hand.

"Arggh!" Jude yelled out as he crouched down in pain.

"Too bad. Guess you aren't winning Invincibility." Desmond smiled and stabbed him in the chest, forcing his avatar to flicker out. "That was simple enough. Guess the sand got to him." He noted. "It's a good thing I'm used to travelling in deserts." He said to himself as he started walking the way Jude had supposed to go.

* * *

 **(Forest)**

Cyrus was high atop a tall tree, sitting down on a large branch and leaning against the trunk. He looked down to wait for anyone to pass by him. "Ambushing someone should be easy." He smirked to himself.

Just as he said that, he saw Cassie and Phoebe walking on the path beneath him, talking to each other. Oblivious to the emo's presence above them, they continued on their way past the tree he was perched in. Cyrus grinned and took this chance to make his move. Sitting up from where he perched, he glared down at the doll faced girl. "This is for staying in the game without doing anything." He leaped off and aimed at Phoebe for a twin downward slash. He ignited his lightsabers at the right time and caught them both by surprise.

"Phoebe!" Cassie widened her eyes as Phoebe got cut down and her avatar disappeared without showing her reaction to the sudden assault. Cyrus landed safely on the ground then glared up at the ranch girl. "You!"

"And now you're next." Cyrus grinned slightly. He wielded his lightsabers in an offense stance as Cassie ignited her lightwhip.

"Ya think ya can best me in a duel?" Cassie almost scoffed at the idea. Cyrus kept his guard up as he waited for her to make her move. He was surprised when Cassie wielded her weapon and whipped at him, the crackling sound coming forth as green light flashed before his eyes. He immediately went to block it, but the force was strong enough to disarm his blue lightsaber on his right hand.

"What the-?" Cyrus said in shock before he had to block the next strike that was coming for him. He got imbalanced and staggered back.

"Ow!" Cassie exclaimed in pain as her second attack backfired and hit her in the leg. Cyrus took this chance to close the distance and kill her with an uppercut slash from his remaining lightsaber. The rancher thought fast and leaped back to dodge it and crackle her whip to counterattack. "Gotcha!"

"Tsk!" Cyrus blocked the hit but stopped in his tracks as he lost the momentum. To his surprise, the edge of Cassie's whip ricochet back to her and hit her in the backside, making her topple forward in shock and pain from her own attack.

"Agh! Why does this keep happening y'all!?" The rancher girl demanded as she struggled to get back up. Cyrus picked up his other lightsaber and charged forward to the vulnerable Cassie, aiming at her head.

"This time for sure!" The emo boy growled as he did a cross slash at her. Cassie panicked and block the attack by holding her lightwhip sideways and grabbing a part of the whip to stretch it out for a straight block. This caused her hand to get burnt immensely from the whip's plasma energy and she screamed out before Cyrus struck her down. After her avatar disappeared, Cyrus sat down on the ground and panted. He stared at her lightwhip that was left behind and shook his head. "It's dangerous, but risky." He noted. "Jane better fail trying to use hers too." With a victorious smirk, he got back up and started to walk.

 **~Confessional~**

 **Cyrus:** I gotta admit that I was scared when I saw Cassie use that whip against me. The blows from the thing hurts like hell so I'm glad she didn't use it properly. But if I see Jane in the final stage then I'm banging my head against the minaret.

 **Phoebe:** I d-don't remember what happened to me. I j-just felt a sharp pain a-and before I knew it, I was g-gone.

 **Cassie:** Y'all see that? I couldn't use my lightwhip properly and I lost to Cyrus too. *she tips her hat forward in embarrassment* Maybe I shoulda gone for a regular one.

 **~End Confessional~**

* * *

 **(Mountain Ranges)**

Lucy ran up a narrow trail that leads to the largest mountain in the range, going higher up in altitude and feeling a slight chill from the wind. "Almost there." She muttered to herself as she went on.

"Hold it right there!" A voice called out from behind her. She glanced over her shoulder and saw Nicholas coming up from behind her.

"You're too excited." Lucy giggled as she ignited her light tonfas and deflected the lightsaber Nicholas threw at her.

"This is the perfect place to hold a duel." Nicholas said evenly as he caught his lightsaber after the failed attack. "Nowhere to run or for dirty tricks."

"You know your facts well, almost." Lucy praised as she stopped and turned to fully face him. "But you were too focused on chasing me down that you actually got distracted. Ironic, right?"

"What do you mean?" Nicholas narrowed his eyes at her. He prepared an offensive stance just as a low roar can be heard.

"I made sure to lead us to where that large creature was supposed to go." Lucy explained. "I saw it earlier and decided to follow its movements and ended up here. You, on the other hand, simply went where I headed."

"A large creature?" Nicholas looked behind him to see the Rancor coming up to them, letting out a fierce roar at them.

"Now you have to fight on two fronts!" Lucy growled and grinned as she charged forward and went to strike his body with her light tonfas. Nicholas blocked blow after blow with a bit of ease as he moved back. Seeing the Rancor about to deliver crushing hit with its big hand through his peripheral vision, he rolled to the side and narrowly avoided it as the ground they were on shook by the force.

"Close call." The detective grunted as he stood back up. Lucy smirked as her red eye glowed.

"Next time you won't be so lucky." Lucy said as she ran up the arm of the rancor just as it lifted it off the ground. She slashed the neck and back of the creature, making it flail its arms wildly. Nicholas had to step back multiple times to avoid the hits, watching the rocks around them crumble and break at the Rancor's struggle.

"That creature isn't on your side." Nicholas stated as he prepared a defensive stance.

"I know. But the least I can do is guide it." Lucy laughed as the Rancor slammed its hands down in pain, the shockwaves catching Nicholas and swiping him off his feet. She then jumped off the creature and rolled on the ground to lessen the pain before jumping back up. "Now take this!" She growled and charged forward again. Nicholas, still on the ground, raised his lightsaber high to block all of her hits but felt his stamina deplete with each block.

"Not yet!" He exclaimed and kicked her chest. Lucy yelped and staggered back which gave him enough time to stand up and launch his own attacks. Lucy's light tonfas gave her a defensive advantage, however, and she found it easy to dodge and deflect his blows. "I didn't know you loved fighting."

"Only when it's necessary." Lucy smirked. "But in this game, it's always necessary." She said as she began doing counter-attacks, striking Nicholas on the thigh and side. The detective moved back as he grunted in pain, making sure to keep his distance. A loud roar interrupted both of their focus.

The Rancor regained his senses and began to wildly slam his massive arms at them. Lucy managed to jump to the side and slide under its legs. Nicholas, however, wasn't so lucky as he was knocked aside due to his injured leg not being able to help him dodge.

"Gahh..." Nicholas grunted as he accidentally dropped his weapon. Lucy saw this as a chance to go around the rancor to where he is, slashing at the Rancor's legs in the process to get it distracted. Once the large creature roared in pain from the lgihtsaber hits and began stumbling around to find Lucy, she went over to stand in front of Nicholas.

"You put up a good fight actually." Lucy admitted. "But I can still outsmart you." She smirked and slashed at his head, making his avatar flicker out instantly.

 **~Confessional~**

 **Lucy:** *her red eye glows* You see? He couldn't defeat me even in a physical challenge like this! I'm so much better than him!

 **Nicholas:** I cannot believe she bested me again. She has gotten better at analysis and combat tactics. Though bringing in the creature was an underhanded strategy, she won in the end and can safely outmaneuver it. I only hope the others can defeat her.

 **~End Confessional~**

Over at the other side of the largest mountain in the range, Terrance was busy heading up the trail, making sure not to trip over rocks that may cause a rockslide beneath him. With his lightsaber safely tucked inside his hoodie pocket, he had no problem using his hands to scale the rocky sides when needed. After reaching the highest point he could go from his vantage point, he slowly descended down towards the foot of the largest mountain.

"It's only a little further. After that, I have the high ground." Terrance adjusted his glasses. "If there's anything I learned from watching Revenge of the Sith, it's that I need to hold the high ground." He smirked as he continued his monologue.

"That's a good strategy. I hope you don't mind if I take it." Someone called out. Terrance turned and saw Nataline walking towards him, her blue lightsaber already ignited.

"I hope you don't mind if I take your life first." Terrance groaned as he got his lightsaber from his hoodie pocket and ignited it.

"Such violent words." Nataline commented as she assumed an attack stance.

"But it's true. It's not like you know how to use a lightsaber, or know which form you're using." Terrance stated as he assumed a defense stance.

"That's not what matters. What matters is that I strike you down and move on to the finals of this challenge then win Invincibility." Nataline shot back as she stalked towards him closer and closer.

"You seem confident." The techie boy rolled his eyes.

"That's because I know I'll win against you!" The lady charged against him with her lightsaber raised. She brought her blade down on him and he reacted with a horizontal block, entering saber lock.

"You're just a cocky rich girl who thinks she can win it all because everything has been laid out for her!" Terrance shouted as he pushed her back but remained on the defensive as she went for another well aimed strike at his gut, but it was blocked as well and they entered another saber lock.

"You don't know anything about me! I don't even know what's your problem with me!" Nataline retorted as she was able to push him back this time. She continued her fierce but graceful attack pattern against him which made Terrance move back bit by bit.

"You think you have it all, always so confident in your abilities. Well guess what? If it wasn't for Tatiana's Invincibility Statue, you wouldn't even be here!" Terrance gripped his lightsaber with two hands now and it became easier to block and deflect her attacks, making him hold his ground against her. He delivered short but precise hits to keep his distance from her before returning to his defensive stance.

"Like Nelly deserves the spot any better." Nataline rolled her eyes as she twirled her lightsaber and took a deep breath. "She was arrogant and pretty discriminating."

"Don't look down on her." Terrance slightly growled and launched his own counter attack, swinging his light longsword at her. Due to its longer size, Nataline was forced to back away more to block better.

"You're just saying that because she shares the same interests as you. You're being biased too." Nataline glared as she took a chance to attack again after dodging a high hit. "You're no better!"

"Then let your lightsaber do the talking." Terrance adjusted his glasses quickly before blocking her attack and moving back and higher up the mountain. Nataline relentlessly gave chase, using her footwork to try and catch him off guard.

"I know you're going to slip up soon." Nataline taunted as she managed to overtake him and move up faster. "And then I'll strike you down to show you why I deserve to be in the merge!"

"You're seriously pretty cocky for someone who has never used a lightsaber." Terrance shook his head as he slashed at her legs. Nataline did a flip out of instinct and gracefully landed. "Although your movement is pretty good, I'll give you that."

"Anything to bring you down." Nataline jumped back as she stood on higher ground now.

"Damn, she claimed the higher ground first." Terrance muttered to himself.

"What was that?" Nataline mocked. "Did you say something, dear?"

"Just thinking of ways to kill you while you're up there." Terrance smirked as he prepared for his attack.

"You said it yourself. The higher ground is beneficial." Nataline pointed out. "You can't seriously try to challenge your own theory." She twirled her lightsaber again.

"We'll see about that." Terrance jumped up high into the air and tried to deliver an upwards slash at her, his grip tight on his light longsword to make sure he doesn't falter. Nataline just smirked as she moved back to make him whiff, and dashed forward to cut off his arm that held his weapon just as he landed in front of her. "Gaahh!" He screamed out as his weapon fell to the rocky ground and rolled out of reach.

"And you took the bait." The lady said as she prepared to finish him off. Her eyes widened in surprise as he was able to block it still. She saw his other arm shoot forward and his psionic blade ignited in order to stop her killing blow.

"And you still underestimate me." Terrance shot back with a pained smirk as he elbowed her in the face.

"Ah!" Nataline staggered back a bit and Terrance was able to slightly slice at her arm. "Agh! Watch it!"

"I won't let you win. I'll keep at it until you're eliminated from this game!" Terrance said with conviction as he prepared to attack her once again. Nataline twirled her lightsaber and both contestants launched a flurry of attacks and blocks, each trying to gain dominance over the other or until one goes over the edge of the platform.

"Gaahh!" Nataline yelled as Terrance was able to swipe low to graze her left leg. She crouched down in pain but was able to block Terrance's killing blow. "N-No..." She groaned.

"It's over." Terrance said softly. "I can finally rest knowing I've beaten you." He smirked and was about to bring all of his strength into his last killing blow to finish her off. Nataline looked around frantically and saw that he was close to the edge.

"You're right. It is over." Nataline smirked and stood up, bearing the pain as she tackled him hard using all the strength she could muster at the moment. Terrance was caught off guard and wasn't able to resist the force, sending him over the edge and plummeting down to the rocky bottom, his avatar disappearing just before his body hit the ground. Nataline gulped as a third of her body was over the edge and she had to slowly crawl back to avoid meeting the same fate. "Finally." Panting, she stood up and dusted herself off with little improvement on her clothes.

Lucy came up to that same high ground moments after, her light tonfas still ignited. "So you defeated Terrance. I bet you're so happy right now." She snarled.

"Lucy, I trusted you." Nataline glared at her. "Why do you hate me?"

"All part of the game." Lucy stalked towards her, her red eye glowing. "Nothing personal." She charged forward then jumped high into the air before aiming down to slice off Nataline's head. Nataline reacted by delivering an uppercut slash to meet with her attack. Just as their lightsabers sparked due to collision, a beam of light shone down on the two of them to transport them back to the temple grounds.

 **~Confessional~**

 **Terrance:** No! Damn it! I was so close! Why couldn't I beat her? *he clenched his fists* I know more about Star Wars than her! I should be a better fighter than her! So why?...

 **Nataline:** I knew I could win against him. So what if he knew so much about wherever this challenge was based on? I still won! I'm stronger than him! *she smirks victoriously*

 **~End Confessional~**

* * *

Jane and Valerie continued to walk along the desert sands, hoping to find the others and defeat them. The former went ahead to guide them as they walked.

"Incoming sand." Jane called out as she shielded her eyes with her arm. Valerie did the same and they both felt the gust of sand blow past their faces.

"Remind me again who we're looking for." Valerie coughed a bit.

"Jude or Desmond." Jane said. "I'm not particularly fond of either. You?"

"They're hot but I can manage fighting them." Valerie giggled.

"Always the flirt." Jane commented with a roll of her eyes.

Valerie squinted her eyes as she saw a male silhouette in the distance, walking towards them with an ignited red lightsaber with crossguards.

"It's Desmond!" Valerie exclaimed as she pointed. Jane followed her gaze and soon enough, Desmond came into full view.

"So you two decided to team up? Not surprising." Desmond rolled his eyes as he stood a few good meters in front of the two girls.

"You sure you don't wanna surrender?" Jane smirked. "You've always been outnumbered. In alliances, and now in challenges."

"One day you'll get eliminated too. Being a physical threat and having such an overpowered asset will put you on the hot seat." Desmond countered. "So don't think for a second that you've won."

"Sheesh, no need to be so grumpy about it." Jane gave an amused scoff.

"Overpowered asset?" Valerie tilted her head.

"Trust me, you don't want to work with her. You wouldn't stand a chance against her." Desmond told the flirt. "Her asset is to turn into some sort of liquid metal and reform again, so she's almost impossible to take out."

"Wait, really?" Valerie widened her eyes.

"Don't listen to him." Jane grunted. "He's messing with your head."

"Messing with your head with facts." Desmond retorted as he assumed an offensive stance.

"Just shut up already. I can't wait to eliminate you after Arnold." Jane glared as she ignited her lightwhip and started off the fight by crackling it towards him. Desmond blocked it and immediately switched to a more defensive stance when Valerie went forward and followed up with her own flurry of attacks, each one not leaving an opening for him to attack due to the short hits and steady form she used.

"You're pretty good. Guess I'll...have a tough time." Desmond noted as he kept blocking her blows. He tried turning his blade every time their sabers locked to use the crossguards against her, but she kept seeing it coming and broke the lock everytime.

"I'm usually better in bed." Valerie winked as she jumped back and put her blade in front of her to defend against his attack. Desmond didn't take the bait and kept his distance. Just as Valerie stepped back, Jane went for another attack from her whip, this time making Desmond go off balance as he tried to deflect.

"Got you now!" Jane took the opportunity to unleash another whip attack, but pulled back her weapon too early and the edge of the whip lashed at both her and Valerie, wounding them. "Argh!"

"Hey!" Valerie pouted as she stepped to the side to keep a distance from her friend. "Watch it!" She scolded. She then took a knee and moaned in pain since the whip wounded her in the gut.

"Sorry. This is harder to wield than I expected..." Jane groaned in pain. She widened her eyes as Desmond went towards her with his lightsaber raised. She stepped back and tried to whip him again, but Desmond deflected it successfully and the whip hit Jane again, this time on the leg. "Gahh!"

"Shouldn't have chosen a weapon you can't wield." Desmond taunted as he slashed at her across the chest which made her avatar go down in a pile of liquid metal.

"Jane! No!" Valerie exclaimed dramatically. She slowly stood up while clutching her injured gut and staggered towards Desmond, who was spreading sand to cover the liquid metal with his foot. She then took notice of it and tilted her head. "What are you doing?"

"Were you not listening?" Desmond raised an eyebrow. "She can transform into this liquid metal when she gets fatal injuries then after a while she'll keep fighting when she reforms. That's what I meant. She can't die." He stalked towards her.

"That's good then." Valerie painfully said.

Just before they could clash, two beams of light shone down on them to teleport them out of the area and back to the temple grounds.

 **~Confessional~**

 **Valerie:** Actually, that light saved me. I don't know if I could have survived a fight against Desmond if I kept at it. But I'm just so mad that he was so mean to Jane! He's hot, but his personality needs to improve.

 **Desmond:** I'm beginning to suspect that Valerie is experienced with swords. She chose the most basic of lightsabers but wields it effectively. Good thing Jane's whip injured her, could mean the difference out here.

 **Chris:** Actually, I'm going to count that as Jane's loss. She didn't reform in a few seconds so it would suck if they had to wait it out. *he shrugs*

 **~End Confessional~**

* * *

Tatiana was humming to herself as she walked along the forest part, her two lightsabers ignited and wielded with the blade facing down unlike the rest of the contestants besides Lucy. She heard a distant roar then frowned.

"That sounded like a rancor." She muttered as she kept going. She noticed Marvin hiding behind some bushes and called out to him. "Hey Marvin! I can see you there you know."

"Really? Guess that means I'm not so good at hiding." Marvin shrugged as he came out of hiding. He ignited his green regular lightsaber and did a normal stance.

"Is that Form I?" Tatiana tilted her head. "You wanna just do the basics then?"

"Is that what it is?" Marvin asked curiously. "I don't know much about Star Wars so I'm just trying to copy what those young Jedi do."

"Well yeah that's Form I. The most basic of forms." Tatiana said. "It's a raw form that focuses on disarming the opponent."

"Then maybe I'll need it since you're holding two weapons." Marvin pointed out.

"Well that's true." Tatiana giggled as she readied herself. "Let's go!" She moved first, moving in to slash at his head for a lethal strike. Marvin ducked just in time and blocked her other lightsaber that seemed to go for a low hit.

"A distraction?" Marvin moved back and went on the offensive, trying to slash at her wrists to disarm her. Tatiana blocked all his attempts with ease, however, and moved fluidly to go for a counter-attack. "What?" He moved back once again as he saw her go in for a strike, but his right arm still got grazed in the process.

"Almost had you." Tatiana exclaimed. "Just a little more." She twirled her lightsabers and leaned down a bit. Just then, they both heard a roar, this time much louder. "There's that rancor sound again."

"A rancor? Is that, like, and animal?" Marvin scratched his head.

"Well yeah it is. A very dangerous one though." Tatiana frowned as she looked in the direction of the roar. Marvin took this chance to dive in for an attack to disarm her once again. The gamer girl was surprised and desperately tried to block it, forcing a saber lock that ended in Marvin's favor as he managed to push her back and make her fall. "Hey no fair! I wasn't looking. I- " She was interrupted when a Rancor burst forth from the trees, knocking down trunks and roaring in a rage.

"So that's a rancor." Marvin said as he looked upon its massive size. "I expected it to be less...ugly." He said before moving back.

"It's ugly but it's really strong." Tatiana stated as she stood up. The Rancor let out another roar and went for the gamer girl. It slammed its large claw down the dirt, sending dirt flying around. Tatiana was able to jump back in time but coughed afterwards. "This is bad." She groaned before coughing again.

"I'll say." Cyrus' voice came from behind her. The emo boy emerged from the bushes with his lightsabers drawn, narrowing his eyes at both Marvin and Tatiana. "Well let's get this over with."

"Don't you guys wanna work together against that thing!?" Tatiana exclaimed as the Rancor roared and swiped at Cyrus this time. The emo boy was able to leap back and slashed at its arm a bit, making it growl in slight pain.

"I'd rather not. One of us just has to die and the other two will get to move on." Cyrus said as he assumed a balanced stance.

"Really?" Marvin asked in surprise as he got ready to fight again.

"Yep. Killed Cassie and Phoebe a while ago." Cyrus smirked. "If that thing can help me kill one of you, then it'll be enough."

"Oh yeah? Well I'm not planning on losing this." Tatiana pouted as she dodged another of the Rancor's attack. "I wanna go to the next level."

"I have to win for me and Phoebe." Marvin said. "You all understand, right?"

"Whatever. I just wanna win the million and go home." Cyrus rolled his eyes. He soon took the initiative and went for Tatiana, striking her with both his lightsabers which were met by her own, creating a saber lock. The gamer girl moved fluidly once again and was about to counter attack when the Rancor slammed both its arms down in between them. Cyrus lost the saber lock and was knocked back but it saved him from the creature's slam, catching only Tatiana.

"Well that just happened." Marvin remarked as he saw Tatiana's avatar immediately disappear. The Rancor roared again as was about to go for Marvin when he was suddenly struck by a beam of light and transported away.

"What?" Cyrus blinked. Just as the Rancor turned back to face the emo boy, a similar light shone down on him and took him away as well.

 **~Confessional~**

 **Tatiana:** Aw, I lost. I really wanted to be a part of the final leg of the challenge but I guess it's game over for now. I wonder if Nataline and Terrance both made it out alive in their end.

 **Marvin:** I didn't expect that result at all. But this setting for the challenge has piqued my curiosity. Maybe I should watch more Star Wars and find out more.

 **~End Confessional~**

* * *

The camera showed the temple grounds once more, this time with the remaining six contestants and Chris. Each of the remaining contestants stood atop a minaret with Chris standing at the center of the temple grounds. The eliminated contestants stood outside the grounds, watching the fight from there. The host spread out his arms dramatically as he looked at the camera.

"Welcome to the final leg of this first merge challenge." He announced with his signature grin. "As you can see, only six of our contestants remain. These are the people who did their best in surviving the chaos in their respective areas. Their avatars have been healed up upon transportation so they can start again fresh and active, so now let's see who these survivors are. For the Mountain Range group we have Nataline and Lucy!"

Lucy just scoffed and closed her eyes as Nataline gave a practiced wave and smile to the camera. "Next, for the Desert group we have Desmond and Valerie!"

The flirt winked at the camera and gave flying kisses while Desmond just gave a short nod, still glancing at the rest of his competition. "And lastly, the Forest group survivors are Cyrus and Marvin!" The host gestured towards the last two.

Marvin gave a small smile to the camera while Cyrus rolled his eyes and just crossed his arms in annoyance. "Can we get on with it now?" The emo boy demanded.

"Just be patient." The host answered irritably. "As I was saying, these six will battle it out in these very grounds, staining these sacred temple with their anger and animosity."

Lucy couldn't help but give an amused scoff as she opened her eyes and looked around. "Quite the introduction. Now how about we give the crowd what they want?" Her red eye glowed just as she said this.

"You're right, Lucy. We should!" Chris agreed before turning back to the camera. "And without further ado, let the challenge...begin!" He pressed something on his wrist and his avatar flickered out.

Desmond nodded towards Marvin and they both jumped down from their minarets. Valerie giggled and jumped down as well.

"Let's get him, Marvin!" The flirt said as she ignited her lightsaber. Desmond and Marvin did the same, with the latter looking conflicted.

"Help me kill her. She's too dangerous to duel." Desmond said to the other boy as he stalked forward towards Valerie. Valerie took up a defensive stance out of instinct.

"But you're the physical threat." Valerie pouted. "Join me in this, Marvin!"

"Well...I..." Marvin looked from Desmond to Valerie. "This is hard." He admitted.

"No it isn't. He's our alliance's enemy." Valerie pointed out. "What's stopping you?"

"N-Nothing of course." Marvin breathed out as he turned to Desmond. "Let's get him."

"What!?" Desmond glared at Marvin and angrily slashed at him, though the latter was able to block in time.

"I'll help!" Valerie chimed in and went forward and did a short hit on Desmond. He grunted and twisted his lightsaber enough to catch the hit with the crossguard. "Go, Marvin!"

"Right." Marvin hesitated a bit but dived in and was able to slash Desmond at the gut, injuring him.

"Damn it!" Desmond cursed and stepped back, but both Marvin and Valerie pressured him and kept on the offensive, both using only short hits to keep him on his feet.

"We got good synergy." Valerie winked as they cornered Desmond against a minaret. She slashed upwards and cut his shoulder while Marvin hit his leg.

"I think so." Marvin said as he panted a bit. Desmond grunted in pain and desperately tried to make them back away by slashing wildly. Valerie was able to defend the blows in time but Marvin got hit across his stomach, making him stumble and double over in pain. "Gahh! That hurts..." He groaned.

"Hey you'll pay for that!" Valerie glared at Desmond and soon went on full offensive, clashing against Desmond's lightsaber until he gave in and she stabbed him in the chest. With a yell of agony, Desmond's avatar flickered out. "We did it! Marvin, we- what!?" She stared in shock as she saw Marvin's avatar flicker out as well.

Lucy stood there in is place, an evil grin on her face and her black light tonfas ignited. "I'm sorry, did you still need his services?"

"Why you-!" Valerie charged forward to attack but Lucy easily blocked and did a counter attack, slashing her arm up a bit. "Ayie!" She moved back and immediately raised up her lightsaber in a defensive position.

"You like going on the defense huh?" Lucy smirked as she raised her light tonfas tauntingly. "Then you should have went for these."

"Lucy! We aren't done yet!" Nataline called out as she ran towards the red eyed girl, her lightsaber ignited and ready to deliver a killing blow.

"Oh it's you, Nataline." Lucy blocked her attack with one of her tonfas. She saw Valerie about to dive in to attack her as well. "Come on, flirt. You wanna go for it?" She glared at her.

"A-Ahhh...No." Valerie backed away, clearly intimidated. She then took off running.

"Wait! We can beat her together!" Nataline called out but to no avail. Lucy laughed as she pushed her back and readied her stance.

"Guess you're on your own. Just like always." Lucy said darkly. "You lost your alliance, and your enemies are still here in the game. It's over." She gave a side smirk.

"I'm so used to being alone, it doesn't bother me anymore." Nataline glared and continued her flurry of attacks, each one met with a block and deflect from Lucy. However, Lucy wasn't able to launch a counter attack due to how graceful Nataline's footwork was as she went on the offense.

"Why isn't there an opening?" Lucy scowled as she kept moving back.

"Oh look, a cat fight. Not surprising." Cyrus said in a bored tone as he approached them. "I'll join in."

"Nobody cares." Lucy rolled her eyes. "You're not that strong anyway." She broke off from her fight with Nataline and went for Cyrus, immediately disarming him of one lightsaber as he was trying to block. She followed up her attack with a kick to his guts and he stumbled backwards.

"Damn, she's faster than Cassie and Tatiana." Cyrus shook his head and got up.

"Is that all you got?" Lucy taunted then immediately spun around and blocked Nataline's surprise attack with one light tonfa. "Sneaking up on me won't help you." She added as she won the saber lock and pushed her back.

"This is proving to be difficult." Nataline remarked. She then went with another flurry of attacks. Lucy once again started to block and deflect with ease.

"But of course. You think I'll just move over for your victory?" Lucy made a face before doing a backflip.

"Yeah and now you forgot about me." Cyrus said as he dived in for an attack. Lucy widened her eyes at his sudden confidence as she blocked his attacks. Cyrus pushed hard in the saber lock which forced Lucy to add in her second light tonfa to keep up the defense. Nataline saw this as an opening and immediately dashed forward to deliver a lethal uppercut. Lucy tried to break free of the saber lock but the other girl was simply too fast. In a blink of an eye, Lucy's avatar flickered out as Cyrus fell due to the lack of counter-force. "Ow."

"I did it!" Nataline cheered.

"'We' did it." Cyrus corrected with a roll of his eyes as he dusted himself off and picked up his fallen lightsaber. "Are you that prideful that you couldn't even give credit where credit is due?"

"Sorry. I am thankful though." Nataline said softly. "But we still have to fight." She pointed her weapon at him. Cyrus did the same.

"You're right." The emo boy narrowed his eyes at her but then saw Valerie hiding behind a minaret. "But maybe I'll go deal with the other girl first." He said before running towards where Valerie was.

"Hey! That's rude you know!" Nataline called out in annoyance as she chased after him. Valerie saw them both come and squealed in surprise when Cyrus suddenly slashed at her. She ducked behind cover to avoid his lethal strike before jumping back up and facing him.

"Wait! I'm still injured." Valerie pouted as she used her defensive stance to block his next attacks.

"Don't care." Cyrus went for another attack but Nataline's lightsaber caught it and they were soon in saber lock. "Stay out of this!"

"No way, I'm going to win this challenge, even if it means taking you both on." Nataline insisted as they both broke the saber lock.

 **~Confessional~**

 **Nataline:** I won't lose now. I'm so close to winning immunity. I need it...I really do.

 **Cyrus:** Being the one to defeat Valerie will show Cassie's alliance that I'm still in this game. I can't be humiliated!

 **Valerie:** *she winces in pain as she gripped her injured arm* It still hurts.

 **~End Confessional~**

Valerie kept going on the defensive as Cyrus relentlessly attacked her with his lightsabers. "You're just like Lucy. What's with you people and defense?" The emo boy grunted irritably. Valerie broke her defensive stance and did a short hit towards his ribs, which connected and he got grazed. "Gah!"

"That's what happens when you keep talking." Valerie giggled before groaning in pain as she felt her injury kick in again. "Oww..."

"Don't forget about me." Nataline exclaimed as she dived in and elbowed Cyrus to the side before turning her attention to Valerie. She used her graceful footwork to get around the other girl as she attacked.

"Your style is different." Valerie remarked as she had a tougher time trying to defend against it. "Have you been practicing?"

"Let's just say holding swords isn't new to me." Nataline smiled sweetly before delivering an accurate blow to her other arm. Valerie crouched down and squeaked in pain.

"Oww." The flirt pouted. Nataline was about to deal the final blow before she saw Cyrus in her peripheral vision. She spun out of the way in time before the emo boy could stab her straight through the heart.

"Almost there." Cyrus grunted. He didn't let up though and dashed forward to stab Valerie instead. The flirt was too injured to resist him and so her avatar flickered out immediately. "But it's not all a loss."

"Hey that was my kill." Nataline pouted.

"Shut up." Cyrus retorted as he went for a balanced stance. Standing in front of her, he narrowed his eyes and waited for her next move.

Nataline took one step forward to intimidate him but the latter didn't flinch. She took another step forward with her lightsaber pointing towards him. Cyrus kept his gaze straight at her, his feet shifting a bit in anticipation. With a short breath, Nataline dived in and slashed him across the chest. Cyrus managed to block the hit but stepped back to get better footing. The lady moved to the side a bit and positioned herself to strike again.

"Got you." Cyrus said and used his other lightsaber to strike down at her legs. But due to Nataline's position, she was able to deflect his attack and swipe upwards, putting him off balance. "Or not." He blocked her follow-up attack and pushed her back.

"You think this will be easy?" Nataline narrowed her eyes at him as she twirled her lightsaber then slashed downwards, clashing with Cyrus' lightsaber as he blocked it then ducked to avoid his head hit.

"Well you have one lightsaber while I have two." Cyrus pointed out. "This battle is mine." He went for a kick but Nataline side stepped then slashed at his leg, cutting it slightly. "Argh.."

"Even if you do have two, you don't seem to know how to use them." Nataline giggled and blocked Cyrus dual strikes, seeing his wrathful face.

"I've just had about enough of you." The emo boy growled and roughly pushed her back against a minaret before stabbing her shoulder.

"Aahhh!" Nataline screamed and rolled out of the way just as Cyrus slashed downwards on where she once stood. "That's it!" She dived in and went on a saber lock with him. Cyrus grinned as his free lightsaber went for a gut stab but Nataline saw this coming and twirled around gracefully before slicing his wrist, making him drop his blue lightsaber. "Just like earlier." She muttered to herself with a smirk.

Cyrus went down on his knees as he stared at his missing wrist. "Damn it!" He cursed. He looked up only to see Nataline bring down her lightsaber on him, making him flicker out and eliminated from the challenge.

"Nevermind. This was easier." Nataline giggled.

"Congratulations, Nataline!" Chris announced as his avatar appeared behind her. "You have won the first merge challenge and therefore you are immune tonight." He said. "Moreover, there is another reward waiting for you after the elimination ceremony."

"Yes! I won!" Nataline cheered. She then cleared her throat and waved politely. "I mean, naturally."

"The rest of you can go plan your votes right here. We finished late so I'm only giving you thirty minutes to come up with your votes." Chris announced and soon everyone dispersed to go discuss their votes.

 **~Confessional~**

 **Terrance:** *he adjusts his glasses and had a scowl on his face* I kinda wished Cyrus won so that we could finally eliminate Nataline. But I guess everyone has their days. I just wish she had none when it came to the merge.

 **Nicholas:** This is my chance to eliminate Lucy. I have to get Nataline to vote with me as well as some others. It's truly a shame Nelly had to go, for she would have been a valuable ally at this time.

 **Desmond:** I hope Marvin is on board with eliminating Cassie still. Even after knowing Jane's asset is overpowered, the fact remains that Cassie's social skill will get her further. She has to be cut off immediately if I want to win.

 **Tatiana:** Since Nataline is immune, that means Lucy won't bother me about it. *she sighs in relief* Right? *she suddenly gulped*

 **~End Confessional~**

* * *

Desmond met up with Marvin who was looking down below the edge of the temple grounds.

"Hey, let's talk strategy." The former said as he joined him.

"I'm curious to know if earthquakes will ever affect this place." Marvin wondered out loud.

"You can wonder about that later." Desmond sighed. "Right now I need you to tell me if you still want to vote for Cassie tonight."

"Well yeah of course." Marvin said as he looked at him. "But only if you can tell me you have the votes for it."

"You have to help me gather those votes." Desmond stated. "But otherwise it should be easy after knowing how much of a threat she is."

"Are you sure? Because it seems lately that the others are more agitated over Jane's asset more than Cassie's overall threat level." Marvin shook his head.

"Then help me persuade them. We can't let Jane be eliminated this early." Desmond said. "It will ruin my plan." He explained.

"Maybe Arnold will join us in this." Marvin thought out loud.

"I'll go get him and then I'll talk to Felix. I know he's still loyal to me." Desmond grinned. "You just stay put and don't draw any suspicions." He jogged off, leaving him behind.

Meanwhile, Cassie, Jane, Phoebe, and Valerie met up under one of the minarets for their alliance meeting.

"I saw Desmond approach Marvin earlier." Jane told them as she jerked her head towards the aforementioned duo, who were already splitting up.

"Don't cha worry 'bout him none." Cassie waved her hand. "Desmond's alliance was lost ever since Sarah got eliminated, y'know."

"So who are we voting off tonight?" Valerie asked. "I'm now willing to vote off Desmond even though he's hot." She sighed.

"I don't think that's a good option right now." Jane thought for a bit. "We should get rid of Cyrus instead."

"R-Really?" Phoebe blinked.

"Makes sense. He's been tormenting Phoebe more times than the rest." Cassie pat the doll faced girl's head. "He has to go."

"And I'm sure some others would be willing to vote him off as well. Especially those on his former team." Jane added. "We don't even have to talk to them anymore."

"Aw, seriously? I wanted to socialize more." Valerie giggled.

"We all should catch up instead." Cassie suggested.

"That i-is a good idea." Phoebe nodded. "V-Valerie, how was the resort?" She asked her friend.

Valerie beamed and they all began talking about Valerie's stay in the resort. Unbeknownst to them, Arnold was watching them from afar with a slight glare.

"You still pissed at them?" Desmond suddenly approached the soccer player. "This is your chance to avenge Sarah."

"How?" Arnold sighed. "Maybe they'll just plan to vote either one of us out. They have the numbers after all."

"Not absolutely." Desmond pointed out. "And I'm planning to vote for Cassie tonight. I have the votes to make it happen."

"Really?" Arnold looked surprised. "Who?"

"Felix and Marvin." Desmond stated.

"Wait, why Marvin?" Arnold asked.

"He agreed to vote her out because she's a physical threat. Next will be Jane if things go our way tonight." Desmond said. "Afterwards, we can work together to eliminate him or sell him out so that his former alliances mates won't take him back."

"That's a really good plan." Arnold conceded and shook Desmond's hand. "You got my vote." Desmond grinned and nodded.

Desmond turned to look at Felix and gave him a thumbs up. The prankster did the same with a wide grin on his face.

Over at the other side of the temple grounds, Nicholas met up with Nataline. The latter was currently having casual talk with Tatiana when the detective approached them.

"Ah, Nicholas. You remember Tatiana, right?" The lady motioned towards the gamer girl, who waved.

"Yes I do. You're from the Red Sith." Nicholas politely bowed. "I'd love to stay and chat but first thing's first. We need to talk about the votes."

"We already did that." Tatiana chirped. "We're gonna vote for Lucy!" She exclaimed.

"Is that so?" Nicholas can't help but give a small smile.

"Tatiana told me how Lucy basically threatened her not to use her Invincibility Statue on me the night I was supposed to go home." Nataline frowned. "But you didn't tell me what the threat was."

Tatiana blushed and looked away. "It's nothing important right now."

"I see. It matters not. What matters is that we are voting for her tonight." Nicholas said evenly. "She is manipulative and an excellent strategist. We cannot let her be the puppeteer."

"You're right." Nataline agreed. "But afterwards, can we work together to vote off Terrance for me?" She asked nicely.

"Very well. I do not harbor any special connection to him so consider it a trade." Nicholas nodded. Both of them turned towards Tatiana, who cleared her throat and hummed.

"Of course. He is a threat after all." The gamer girl said.

"I know you're close with him. He did help you build your asset after all." Nataline pointed out to her. Tatiana shook her head.

"But it's already the merge. He understands that it's everyone for themselves." Tatiana insisted.

"Then that's good enough for us." Nataline smiled. Nicholas stared at Tatiana for a moment longer before breaking his gaze and looking elsewhere.

"Should we go talk to the others?" The detective asked.

"I'm sure they'll know to vote for her too. I think some of them knows about her dark side anyway." Nataline assured.

Lucy was leaning behind a minaret, clearly eavesdropping on their conversation. She smirked before joining Terrance and Jude a few ways back.

"I overheard them and who they're voting for." The red eyed girl said. "They are gunning for me tonight."

"Seriously? Not Cyrus or someone from the Silver Terminators?" Jude blinked. "What are they thinking?"

"I do not know. But what I do know is that we have to take action." Lucy said.

"So we vote for either Nicholas or Tatiana?" Terrance raised an eyebrow but Lucy shook her head.

"We will vote for Jane. Think about it, someone with an overpowered asset like that will only prove to be dangerous in the challenges to come. We got lucky she did not win immunity tonight, but no one can say for sure how many times she may win in the near future." Lucy explained. Both boys nodded in understanding.

"But there are only three of us." Terrance pointed out.

"Leave the numbers to me. I know who to talk to." Lucy giggled as she left them.

"She's cute when she makes strategies." Jude suddenly blurted out when Lucy was out of earshot. Terrance just made a face at him.

Marvin was currently talking to Cyrus, in the same place Desmond had originally found him. Lucy saw them and smirked before approaching them.

"And I do wonder about-" Marvin was cut off when Lucy cleared her throat.

"Excuse me, boys. I'll leave you two alone in a bit right after we have a short important talk." Lucy said as her red eye glowed.

"You got another plan?" Cyrus raised an eyebrow.

"Are you two in an alliance?" Marvin glanced at Cyrus and Lucy.

"Something like that." Lucy answered before Cyrus can. "And don't worry, you won't be left out of this conversation. You might want to hear my proposal too."

"So who's the target this time?" Cyrus crossed his arms.

"Jane." Lucy said simply.

"Done." Cyrus shrugged nonchalantly.

"Just like that?" Marvin blinked. "You're not going to question her motives."

"It's useless to think deeper into this. I had fun seeing Nataline's face of despair when she got the most votes last night. So I figured I should just stick to whatever Lucy suggests." Cyrus explained in a bored tone.

"And you should consider doing the same, Marvin. You don't want a power player like that roaming around, do you?" Lucy giggled as she turned on her heel and walked away. She then called out. "And don't worry about the numbers either."

 **~Confessional~**

 **Marvin:** I wonder if I should vote for Cassie or Jane tonight. Cyrus told me that Lucy's judgement yields good results. But then, we don't have a special connection or anything. I want to trust Desmond, but perhaps Lucy is the better investment. After all, she is physically weaker and I would hope that it's easier to defeat her even when she's a finalist.

 **Tatiana:** I can't let Nataline know I like Terrance. It would just make things awkward for all three of us! But the way Nicholas looked at me sent chills down my spine. I wonder if he knew I was lying.

 **~End Confessional~**

After some time has passed, Chris called them to the middle of the temple grounds and told them to sit on the floor while he stood before them. There was a cart next to him with fourteen golden space food containers.

"Welcome, final fifteen, to the first merge elimination!" Chris spread out his arms for dramatic fashion. "This time, anyone can vote for anybody! But tonight, no one is allowed to vote for Nataline because of the immunity she got from winning the challenge." Nataline smirked at Terrance upon hearing it, and the techie just rolled his eyes.

"Get on with it! I want to sleep!" Cyrus called out irritably.

"You're not the host here!" Chris retorted. "Anyways, it's time I say who's safe for tonight." He got one container. "The first one goes to Nataline because of obvious reasons." She caught her space food container.

"Phoebe." The doll faced girl received hers and sighed in relief.

"Nicholas." The detective easily caught his with one hand.

"Desmond."

"Tatiana."

"Jude."

"Terrance."

"Felix."

"Valerie."

"Marvin."

"And Arnold." After the soccer player caught his space food container, the remaining ones who weren't called glanced at each other. "The rest of you who haven't been called have received at least three votes." Chris announced.

"Three?" Cassie blinked. "That means the votes were split."

"That's correct." Chris nodded. "But those who just got three votes and are safe are..." He paused. "...Cassie and Lucy!"

The two girls caught theirs and Cassie breathed a sigh of relief while Lucy just smiled. Chris glanced between Cyrus and Jane. "One of you will be eliminated tonight."

"Not surprising." Cyrus grunted.

"But...how?" Jane blinked as she looked at her alliance members, who looked worried too except for Marvin who was deep in thought.

"The final golden space food container goes to..."

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..."Cyrus!" The emo boy smirked victoriously as he caught the container and bragged it to Jane's face.

"You see this? That means I'm staying and you're going!" Cyrus gloated. Jane glared at him and stood up.

"Shut up. You aren't tough enough to beat me in a real fight." Jane scoffed.

"Any last words before we send Jane off?" Chris asked the others.

"I'm g-going to miss you." Phoebe looked to be on the verge of tears as she went over to hug her friend. Cassie and Valerie followed suit and pat Jane on the back.

"Ya fought well." Cassie tipped her hat forward. "We'll win this for ya."

"Thanks." Jane smiled at them.

"Say hi to Wesley for me." Valerie winked. "But seriously, it sucks that you have to go. I was hoping we could talk more."

"We can keep in touch after the game is over, Valerie." Jane said to the smaller girl. They all let go and she rested her gaze on Marvin, who was looking at her with an almost pained expression. She gasped a bit but then grinned.

"Hey Marvin! Take care of Phoebe, alright?" She told the boy.

"Yeah..." Marvin nodded. Jane nodded towards Chris.

"I'm ready to go." She said. A beam of light was preparing to shine down on Jane to take her out of virtual reality.

"Jane, you have finished this game in 15th place. For real this time." Chris said.

Jane rolled her eyes. "Anyway, I had fun playing the game with my friends by my side. And now I can take a break from all of this." She glared at Cyrus who was smirking at her. She went over to him and did a slide kick to knock him off before the light shone down on her and took her away before Cyrus could get his revenge.

"Good riddance!" The emo boy angrily and painfully called out.

"The rest of you will be transported away as I terraform this place again." Chris announced. "Except you, Nataline. You're coming with me."

"Where are we going?" The lady blinked in confusion as she went over to Chris.

"I'm taking you to your other reward for winning." Chris said to her as he pressed something on his wrist and both of their avatars flickered out first.

"I wonder what it is." Tatiana thought as she went with Terrance.

"I don't care. It's probably not that important." The techie boy just shrugged his shoulders.

 **~Votes~**

 **Nicholas:** My vote goes to Lucy. I cannot let a manipulative yet intelligent person like that continue to play. It would be dangerous.

 **Cyrus:** Jane has to go. That asset of hers is too strong. That, and like I said I just want to follow what Lucy orders me to do. *he shrugs*

 **Phoebe:** I'm g-going to vote for Cyrus. I u-used to like him, but I have my friends a-and Marvin now. I'll be a-alright, I think.

 **Jane:** Time for Cyrus to get the hell out of here. Seriously though, how did he survive until merge!?

 **Nataline:** As much as I want to vote off Terrance as revenge, I need to play smart. I have to vote off Lucy so that she won't be able to pull the strings. Poor Tatiana, I can only imagine what that manipulative snake said to her.

 **Terrance:** So Nataline's immune, huh? I can always get her out next time. For now, I'll vote for Jane. I need to make sure my assets are the strongest and with her around, it can't be made possible. *he adjusts his glasses*

 **Lucy:** With no more Invincibility Statues, there is no way for an elimination ceremony to go wrong for me. I vote for Jane, so I better see some good results. *she laughs as her right eye glowed red*

 **Jude:** I'm gonna do what Lucy says and vote for Jane. Honestly, she's a good rival in terms of physical challenges. But hey, less rivalries means higher chance of winning.

 **Tatiana:** I vote for Lucy! I hope this works because I really need her to be gone so my secret is safe, assuming she hasn't blabbed it to Terrance already.

 **Cassie:** Me and my alliance be voting for Cyrus. Y'all are wondering why he made it to the merge? It's cuz we weren't on the same team as him during the team swap. He would have been gone already if it was up to us.

 **Marvin:** After properly considering both my options, I have decided to vote for Jane tonight. Even though Cassie is a social and physical threat, we should also consider the fact that Jane might win challenge after challenge. It's easy for her because of her asset, and I don't want to risk it. Sorry about that, Desmond.

 **Desmond:** My vote goes to Cassie as planned. I already explained why she needs to go and I'm too tired to repeat it.

 **Arnold:** I vote for Cassie! This one is to avenge Sarah!

 **Felix:** Desmond said I should vote for Cassie, so I will. I'm not that great of a strategist and I'm still going to let Desmond decide all that. I just want to improve on my challenge skills, you know.

 **Valerie:** Cyrus has to go. In fact, he gives emos a bad name by being such a pain in the butt. I hope no one takes after him because that would just suck.

 **~Eliminated~**

 **(24th place) Richard - The Maestro**

 **(23rd place) Delilah - The Serpent**

 **(22nd place)** **Harvey - The Chill Guy**

 **(21st place)** **Betty - The Phone Addict**

 **(20th place)** **Wesley - The Blue Blood**

 **(19th place)** **Shane - The Lone Wolf**

 **(18th place)** **Ivy - The Distant Cloud**

 **(17th place)** **Sarah - The Rocker Girl**

 **(16th place)** **Nelly - The Arrogant Nerd**

 **(15th place) Jane - The Survival Expert**

* * *

Chris can be seen standing in the Drama Dome with the blue hologram showing the terraforming process. He spread out his arms with his signature smirk. "And there you have it folks, the first merge elimination has been done. With the cast all merged together and three returnees to rejoin them, no one is truly safe from each other. Will Cassie's alliance find out who eliminated their friend? Will Lucy be able to hold all the strings when it comes to eliminations or will Nicholas be able to stop her in time? When will Terrance's and Nataline's heated rivalry end? And what is Nataline's other reward? Find out next time on Total...Drama...Sci-Fi Showdown!" He exclaimed as the camera panned out slowly then turned off.

* * *

 **I always did imagine Jane to go home early on in the merge so I got no qualms with her leaving as the actual first merge boot. I'd like to think I did well on her character. Strong and protective of her friends while staying safe all throughout the team phase. I bet some of you wanted to see her asset in action more. Well I'm sorry to say that if I did, I might as well hand her the million. And since I don't plan on doing that, I decided to drop her here. Sorry to all the Jane fans out there. See you next chapter. :) XBloodLegendX**


	18. Chapter 17: Virus Tag

**"Man is not what he thinks he is, he is what he hides." - Andre Malraux**

* * *

"Last time on Total Drama Sci-Fi Showdown," Chris started as the camera panned in on him. "The contestants got a taste of the Star Wars universe and were pit against each other in a lightsaber competition. Divided into three groups in three different places, their primary task was to be the remaining two of that group to survive in order to proceed to the next stage of the challenge."

The large colored hologram in the Drama Dome lit up and revealed the aerial view of each location. "Of course, we had a little something to stir things up too." Chris chuckled as the miniature hologram of a Rancor roamed the forest and mountain range area. "These ferocious creatures made a difference with how things turned out, and soon enough our remaining survivors were determined."

The hologram showed the full body portraits of Lucy, Nataline, Cyrus, Marvin, Desmond, and Valerie in their respective combat stances. "It was a full on battle back at the temple grounds, and it was Nataline who prevailed in the end!" The hologram showed the Nataline slew Cyrus with her lightsaber. "Being the winner of the first merge challenge, she became immune that night and I even promised her a special reward. But we'll get to that later."

The hologram fast forwarded a bit to the same temple grounds but in the middle of the elimination ceremony. "It seems not everyone is feeling the need to merge ideas even when its merge, because the votes were entirely split. It was either Cyrus, Jane, Lucy, or Cassie that will get the shame of being the first merge boot and when all is said and done, it was Jane who took that shame. Apparently having the most overpowered asset can really give you unwanted attention." The host chuckled. "Can Cassie's alliance bounce back from this loss or will this be the beginning of the end for the most powerful alliance in the game? Will Marvin continue to put the wool over the eyes of his former alliances members? And who will Lucy's next target be? Find out here on Total...Drama...Sci-Fi Showdown!" He finished with his arms spread out dramatically.

* * *

 **(The Night After The Elimination Ceremony...)**

Chris and Nataline were walking along a new terraformed land. Their surroundings were simply plain meadows with a stone path that leads to their destination. The latter was looking around with wonder as they walked.

"So what happens to the outpost since you changed the entire place?" Nataline asked the host.

"Those got moved somewhere else." The host said. "They should be able to find it soon, because if they don't they they gotta sleep somewhere uncomfortable." He chuckled.

"Well I see. But where are we going?" Nataline asked. "I need sleep too you know."

"Relax. You'll get a place to sleep." Chris assured her. "It should be further up ahead. We're close." He said as he walked ahead of her.

After a few more minutes of walking, they soon came across a luxurious-looking mansion with bright lights coming from behind the windows. The stone path ended just in front of a large golden gate. Chris opened the gate for them to enter and the walkway became that of marble, surrounding it is a colorful garden filled with exotic flowers and a few water sprinklers done in an organized and aesthetic manner.

"This place is huge." Nataline's eyes widened.

"Don't tell me you haven't seen a mansion before." Chris gave an amused scoff. "You do live in one after all."

"Yet it does not explain why one exists here in this...sci-fi world." Nataline said as they came up to the front door. It was decorated with intricate wood carvings that gave the feel of aristocracy.

"Consider it a safe house I prepared for you guys." Chris smirked as he opened the grand doors. "And trust me, this is sci-fi themed too." Nataline gasped as she saw what the foyer looked like. The floor is covered in glossy white tiles. Three long futuristic couches of red, blue, and green sit at the middle of the foyer surrounding a round carpet resembling the combined logos for the Silver Terminators and Cyan Protoss. Further back are two staircases connecting to one platform that leads to the second floor, the staircases decorated with blue neon lights at the edge of the steps. The walls are metallic yet glossy, the color nearly matching that of the floor. Parts of the walls are left empty to act as a connection to the other rooms. Nataline looked up and saw a chandelier lighting up the place, its design futuristic as well.

"This place..." The lady looked around in utter surprise. "..is so beautiful."

"Well don't just stand there." Chris said as he turned to the side and walked to a different room. "There is still the rest of the mansion to explore."

"Very well." Nataline obeyed and followed him to the dining room. She saw that there was a long table made of transparent glass and chairs that could be occupied by ten people. The chairs have a futuristic theme to it as well, designed in a way unique compared to normal chairs with faint lights emanating from it. "This is also quite grand." She noted.

"This mansion was built for those who have won immunity in the merge challenges. Since you won the last challenge, you get to live here for the rest of the season." Chris explained. "Well as long as you're still in the game, of course." He added quickly.

"That means I get to have my own room, right?" Nataline asked hopefully. Chris nodded.

"That's right. It's even formed to your own tastes." Chris smirked as he led her out of the dining room and into the boutique, which was a room on the other side of the foyer.

"You mean you know what kind of room we like?" Nataline blinked.

"Yeah. Don't you remember your application forms?" Chris raised an eyebrow as he stopped at the door to the boutique. "You all literally answered it in essay form."

"Ah yes, now I remember." Nataline said after some thought. "I can't wait to see mine." She smiled.

"You'll get your chance." Chris said. "And you'll get the chance to see the inside of the boutique tomorrow. We're going to the second floor." He pointed at the staircase and they both walked up the stairs and into the hallway of the second floor.

"This is rather spacious still." Nataline noticed as she saw multiple doors and two corners leading further down the hallway.

"These doors are unavailable right now so let's head right first." Chris said and soon turned the corner, with Nataline following close behind. After rounding the corner, they soon came across another set of doors until they reached a single door which glowed faintly in neon cyan lighting.

"Are these the rooms?" Nataline asked.

"Yeah. These are the rooms preferably for the ones in the Cyan Protoss." Chris said as he tossed her a sky. Nataline gasped but managed to catch it. "Your room is right there." He pointed to the door to his right.

"But what's that neon door?" Nataline pointed at the door at the far end.

"Remember the locked room in which you guys had to win three challenges in order for it to unlock?" Chris smirked. "It's that. The one for the Silver Terminators is the one in the other side." He pointed at the far end of the hallway opposite to theirs, which had a door colored in faint neon silver lighting. Nataline's eyes widened in surprise and then smiled.

"Can I go inside?" She asked hopefully. The host shook his head and this made the lady sad.

"It's closed for tonight. All you can do for now is sleep." Chris explained. Nataline sighed but nodded then went to her room.

"Well goodnight I suppose." Nataline said as she shut her door and locked it. She saw that her room was rather spacious, designed similarly to the homes back in her country, Belarus. Plain cream colored walls and a mahogany colored ceiling made up the sides of her room, along with simplistic furniture. There is a cat doll atop her nightstand, books in a single shelf, and pictures of her along with some others in frames hanging on the walls. The bed also looked simplistic, with a plain mattress and two pillows in white casing.

"This is a nice room." Nataline smiled as she sat down on the bed to feel the softness of the mattress. "It's just the way I like it." She giggled.

 **~Confessional~**

 **Nataline:** So this will be my room for the rest of the merge, I see. I should get used to the facilities here, and maybe go check out the two doors when I wake up. I have yet to see the benefits of either door after all. And I doubt anyone else but Cyrus has utilized it.

 **~End Confessional~**

* * *

Time passed until morning came, and the camera panned over to an open field within a conservatory dome where everyone else was sleeping in their sleeping clothes. The whole place is enclosed in bulletproof glass and the only way out is through two blast doors with an air purifier in between. Cassie and Jude woke up at the same time before anyone else, and the former stretched a bit before standing up.

"How did we get here?" Cassie asked no one in particular. She looked around and saw only Jude, who rubbed his eyes and looked at her.

"I remember a light shining down on us." Jude tried to remember. "And then I was dreaming afterwards." He blinked as he got up and saw where they all were. "Where are we, exactly?"

"No guesses here." Cassie shrugged. Lucy woke up soon after.

"What's all the commotion about?" The red eyed girl groaned as she yawned.

"Why is everyone so noisy?" Cyrus grunted as he woke up due to the talks happening. "And why are we all sleeping at the same spot?"

"In our pajamas no less." Lucy added.

"I can hardly call those pajamas." Jude motioned to the nightgown Valerie was wearing when the latter stirred a bit then slowly opened her eyes.

"Hey...is this some kind of sleepover?" The flirt sat up and stretched.

"Mornin' Valerie." Cassie greeted her friend.

"Good morning." Valerie answered with a sleepy smile.

"Has anyone seen my glasses?" Terrance asked as he searched around the grass for his glasses.

"Is it t-this one?" Phoebe asked as she held up his glasses. "I found these b-beside me."

"How did it get there?" The techie boy scratched his head as he took it from her. "Thanks anyway."

"Oh my god Bartz!" Tatiana suddenly sat up with a start. "What!? What? What?..." She looked around frantically before calming down a bit. Everyone awake looked at her weirdly.

"Did you just scream Bartz?" Felix groggily sat up. "I hate that guy."

"He's the best Final Fantasy protagonist for me." Tatiana pouted and crossed her arms.

"Only you think that." Jude shook his head as he jumped up and looked around. Soon, the rest started waking up as well.

"This is rather unexpected." Nicholas noted as he glanced at everyone and then his surroundings. "We are at some sort of dome."

"Wow, didn't know that." Cyrus rolled his eyes.

"I'm gonna go exercise." Arnold announced to no one in particular and stood up to leave the conservatory dome.

"I'll come with you." Desmond offered as he stood up and followed the soccer player out.

"You think they're gay for each other?" Valerie whispered to Felix, who looked at her weirdly.

"Yo, no! Don't put those thoughts in my mind." Felix said, a bit grossed out.

"Are ya homophobic?" Cassie asked the prankster with a raised eyebrow.

"What!? No!" Felix denied. "Look, I'll just go join Desmond and Arnold then." He immediately stood up and went outside.

"I wonder why they wanna leave. It's cozy in here." Tatiana remarked as she relaxed.

"That may be true but we should be getting a good analysis of where we are." Nicholas interjected.

"I'm up for some exploring." Jude said. "Just not with you." He glared at Nicholas before going outside of the conservatory dome.

"Tensions are looking good." Cyrus chuckled to himself as he watched the others converse while others leave. Soon, only Phoebe, Tatiana, Valerie, Marvin, and himself remained inside.

"I wonder what this conservatory dome is for." Marvin thought aloud.

"M-Maybe it's to preserve the n-nature in here." Phoebe suggested.

"But why? Remember that the old Green Drell outpost was literally surrounded by nature?" Valerie pointed out. "We're definitely not in any shortage."

"Maybe Chris terraformed a new world for us." Tatiana chimed in with a clap.

"That would be good and bad." Marvin said.

"Nobody wants to hear it, Marvin." Cyrus rolled his eyes and stood up.

"But nobody's asking you." Valerie glared at him.

"Why do you always have to be so toxic?" Tatiana said, exasperated. "You're just like Shane."

"Don't compare me to him!" Cyrus shouted. "Because unlike him, I actually made it to the merge!"

"P-Please don't yell." Phoebe said softly as she hid behind Valerie.

"Hey, you're scaring Phoebe." Valerie raised her voice.

"You should just leave." Marvin suggested. "You're pretty much ruining the mood."

"Someday, you'll see that I'm right." Cyrus said as he started to walk out. "Phoebe doesn't deserve to be here but she'll continue to stay day after day because people don't see her as a threat. She's going to win the million because her innocence corrupted you." He spat before heading out.

"Glad that's over." Tatiana sighed in relief. "His speech doesn't make sense though. Phoebe's innocence isn't corrupting anyone. In fact it's really cute." She smiled at the doll faced girl.

"He's only trying to get into your head. It's been like that since the beginning anyway." Marvin said as he stared ahead.

"Well enough about him, let's talk about you guys." Valerie excitedly said as she pointed at both Marvin and Phoebe. "I heard from Chris that you two are together now!"

"Really? Congrats." Tatiana beamed.

"Thanks you g-guys." Phoebe said with a slight blush. "We're b-both happy in this relationship."

Marvin nodded and scratched the back of his head. "But we're both pretty shy to improve on it."

"Is that so? Because I can help with fixing that." Valerie winked.

"Or maybe the game is just getting to them. I know I'm getting stressed lately." Tatiana sighed.

"That is true. But we should all get through this with a clear head." Marvin said. "If not, then we'll panic once the number thins."

"Y-You're right." Phoebe agreed. "But I'm n-not all that good with the strategy s-stuff." She admitted with embarrassment.

"Then I'll handle it for you." Marvin offered.

"And we can help you out!" Valerie cheered. Tatiana blinked and pointed to herself.

"Me too?" The gamer girl asked.

"Yeah! You can join us!" Valerie said and wrapped them all for a group hug.

 **~Confessional~**

 **Valerie:** I'm bummed that Jane left, but this only means we have to be stronger for her. I know Desmond and Arnold planned something to get her out, so we'll avenge her together!

 **Marvin:** Valerie is completely clueless that I played a part in voting off Jane. I intend to keep it that way. At least, until Desmond decides to sell me out since I didn't vote for Cassie like he wanted. I just felt like Jane was the immediate threat. Nothing wrong with that, right?

 **Phoebe:** I'm g-glad I have people to rely on like Marvin a-and Valerie. They really know h-how to make me happy often. And I g-guess now I can include Tatiana too? I'd love to b-be her friend too.

 **Tatiana:** Maybe hanging out with these guys will help me in the long run. I gotta think of the late game now that we're at the merge. Gotta expand my horizons, you know that? Gotta git gud and all that.

 **~End Confessional~**

Desmond, Arnold, and Felix were walking along what looks to be the ruins of a grand temple. The ceiling was gone and the walls had already crumbled down, leaving only a few standing columns and furniture intact. There are shards of broken glass everywhere, the sunlight barely reflecting their colors. The prankster sat at one of the few pews still intact while the other two examined the ruined altar.

"Chris really went all out on this new world." Felix noted. "It felt like only yesterday we were strolling around the green pastures and staring at the blue sky." He looked up to see the darkened sky loom above them, with little sunlight piercing through.

"Well you were eliminated early on in the game so you surely don't miss the old place as much as we do." Desmond pointed out with a smirk as he picked up a dirty golden chalice.

"Is he your ally?" Arnold nudged his head in Felix' direction.

"Yeah. The local prankster, Felix." Desmond introduced. "And Felix, this is Arnold. He'll be part of our little band from now on."

"Cool. I wonder what instruments we'll be playing." Arnold laughed.

"Dibs on the triangle. I play a mean tune when I get my hands on one." Felix joked as he stood up to join them.

"Focus, guys. We still have strategy to talk about." Desmond insisted as he glanced at the two of them.

"Party pooper." Felix muttered under his breath. "So what do you got for us?"

"Last night didn't go as I planned, so I'm a bit frustrated but overall not against the final results." Desmond said to them with a shrug.

"Gotta agree on that one. Jane was a real pain in the butt." Arnold agreed. "Having her gone must have weakened their spirit at least."

"Having her gone means their numbers are thinning out." Desmond corrected.

"And that's a good thing right?" Felix tilted his head.

"Of course it is. What are you, an idiot?" Desmond deadpanned. "This means that we're one step closer to toppling down their alliance completely." He explained.

"Wow, since when did you get so aggressive?" Felix frowned a bit.

"Ever since we lost our leader, Sarah." Arnold said solemnly. Desmond shook his head behind his back but the former didn't notice. "These are trying times, my dude."

"I can see that." Felix nodded with a side smirk. "Don't worry because you can count on my vote."

"Good to know." Desmond nodded with a small smile.

"By the way, what happened to Marvin?" Arnold asked. "Wasn't he supposed to be one of us now?"

"He's laying low since he doesn't want his old alliance to know he betrayed them." Desmond told the soccer player. He then furrowed his brow. "But I wonder who he voted for last night. He definitely didn't vote for Cassie like I told him to."

"Maybe he voted for Cyrus." Arnold shrugged.

"Or Jane." Felix suggested.

"I'll go talk to him later." Desmond said. "But for now, we keep tabs on Cassie's alliance. We have to make sure nothing goes their way, got it?" The other two boys nodded. "Good. Just a little more and we'll be in a powerful position soon."

 **~Confessional~**

 **Desmond:** This plan is going to work, I just know it. Cassie's alliance has been reigning for far too long now, so it's time to end it. If we don't, then one of her alliance members will win the million for sure.

 **Felix:** Desmond is getting more and more serious lately, or maybe I'm just getting used to his personality again. Either way, I should do my part for this small little band of ours. Don't wanna get voted off for being the weak link. Again.

 **Arnold:** Jane's elimination gave me hope that we can still turn things around in this second half. I hope Sarah is proud of us right now, because our comeback is only beginning! *he pumps his fist in the air happily*

 **~End Confessional~**

Jude and Lucy were walking along the park, which is in ruins much like the temple. Dark colored roots of unknown origin crawled out from the fountain that's void of water, glowing a dark red faintly. The trees are all dead with similar roots coiling it, as if strangling it. The marksman looked uneasy as he glanced at each dead tree.

"What is Chris thinking, just switching things up like this?" Jude asked his girlfriend with a slight shiver.

"Scared?" Lucy raised her eyebrow at him as she went to investigate the roots by the fountain. She found that small buds formed at the base.

"Of course not." Jude denied confidently. "Even if it's a scary place, I'll protect you!"

"So brave." Lucy giggled but rolled her eyes when he wasn't looking.

"Howdy, y'all." Cassie greeted as she jogged to catch up with them.

"You're Cassie right?" Lucy turned to look at the rancher girl.

"That's me." Cassie tipped her hat forward. "I reckon y'all know of me anyway." She gave a light laugh.

"I remember you're from the Green Drell." Jude said. "And the Silver Terminators. Must be why we don't talk."

"Ya got a point there." Cassie admitted. "But that changes today, since we're in the merge." She declared. "So it's nice meeting y'all."

"It's nice to get to know the competition after all." Jude smirked. "In case you weren't aware, we're a couple." He pointed at himself then at Lucy.

"You don't have to brag about it so much." Lucy sighed.

"What are you talking about? The world has to know how much I care about you." Jude insisted.

"Hey I'm happy for ya both." The ranch girl grinned and pat Jude on the back. "I hope ya have a happy ending."

"Thanks. You're pretty cool." Jude grinned. "Can't wait to do the next challenge with you. Let's see who the better player is."

"Ya got yourself a deal." Cassie smirked and shook Jude's hand. "And while I'm at it, I should tell ya that y'all can think about joining our alliance."

"Wasn't Jane a part of your alliance before she left?" Lucy inquired.

"That's right. It'll be lonely without her and I'm not trying to replace her or anything." Cassie defended. "I just thought that y'all might need some security in the votes."

"We'll think about it for now." Lucy answered immediately before Jude can. "Jude and I have to talk about it some more." Her red eye glowed slightly after she said it. Cassie didn't looked fazed at all and just nodded.

"Sure. It's a bit sudden anyway and we barely know each other." The ranch girl shrugged. "But at least see if y'all are open to talk before tonight's elimination." She said before jogging off.

"Why didn't you just say yes?" Jude asked his girlfriend once Cassie was out of earshot. "Our numbers would increase!" He exclaimed.

"Correction, 'their' numbers would increase." Lucy corrected. "Maybe you haven't been paying attention, but Cassie's alliance ruled as the greatest alliance in the Silver Terminators. If we are to overpower them, we should work against them." She explained.

"But what would Terrance think?" Jude tilted his head.

"Terrance will follow what I tell him to do. Plus he couldn't care less if we had to join up with Cassie anyway. All he wants is for Nataline, and maybe even Nicholas, gone." Lucy told him as she looked around the fountain again. "We should be keeping tabs on everybody. Work as a separate unit, but make sure the votes go our way. Sticking to one major alliance won't solve that."

"I see, I guess." Jude scratched his head. "I'll leave it up to you then."

Lucy smirked. "Of course."

 **~Confessional~**

 **Lucy:** Of course he has no choice but to leave it up to me. If he thinks getting all friendly with Cassie will help his game, then he has much to learn in the ways of strategy. Trust me, I know Cassie is capable of strategy to some extent, as shown by her alliance going strong all this time.

 **Jude:** I wonder why Lucy still has to think about it more. If the three of us join up with Cassie, we could be unstoppable! But she's still the one calling the shots so I'll leave it to her to make the tough calls out here. It's just my job to protect her.

 **Cassie:** With Jane gone, our alliance just lost a good friend and a loyal vote. Now I ain't too hopeful that those two will be my new friends right off the bat, no sir. I just reckon they'd be good votes to use in the upcoming eliminations. Gotta stay ahead of the game to keep my friends safe, y'know.

 **~End Confessional~**

Terrance was busy roaming the streets of an abandoned city, looking around to see a chaos of crashed cars and robotic limbs. Most of the streetlights ceased to work, and those that did emitted only flickers of light. He saw that the buildings were in a bad condition, with broken windows and foundations that look like it's about to crumble down at any moment.

"Not a bad post-apocalyptic place." The techie boy nodded in approval as he looked at an empty convenience store. "Chris really went all out with the details. Maybe I can still salvage some of these parts." He thought to himself while approaching a broken car with a robotic arm and leg sticking out of it. "I still need a place to work on these though." He sighed in frustration.

"Working on something?" A voice came from behind him. Terrance turned around and saw Nicholas standing there, leaning against a phone booth.

"Yeah." Terrance answered and adjusted his glasses. He narrowed his eyes at the detective who returned the gesture.

"Let's talk instead." The detective said evenly.

"How about no." The techie boy spat. "We have nothing to talk about."

"I remember you from day one." Nicholas went on as he fixed his trench coat. "You betrayed us the moment you had a chance."

"It wasn't even my intention to stick around. I just happened to spawn with you guys but it means nothing." Terrance growled a bit as he tried to walk past him.

"Truly?" Nicholas asked. "You say it means nothing, but your actions are not justified still. Why do you persist on antagonizing us?"

"Because the both of you are so full of yourselves! Just like all the popular people in the world!" Terrance stopped and whipped his head back to glare at him. "Just you wait, I've eliminated Wesley before, so I have the power to eliminate you both as well."

"And with that in mind, you aligned yourself with Lucy?" Nicholas narrowed his eyes. "A criminal? A liar? Do you think she'll have your back when you're the one in a bind?"

"You can say what you want, it's obvious you'd be against her." Terrance scoffed and turned back to walk away.

"Likewise. You do not know my story or Nataline's." Nicholas called out before Terrance was completely out of sight.

 **~Confessional~**

 **Nicholas:** It is a bit hard to understand where Terrance is coming from with all of this hatred against Nataline and myself, but I deduce that it has something to do with his school life. Most teenagers get their ideals and beliefs from their experiences in their school environment, and the influences of those around them. Perhaps it's related.

 **Terrance:** I should be careful what I say around Nicholas from now on. I forgot that he's an investigator so he's getting info with every word I say.

 **~End Confessional~**

* * *

The contestants, minus Nataline, met up outside of the conservatory dome where Chris was waiting for them. The host grinned when everyone had gathered around him.

"Welcome, final fourteen!" The host exclaimed with his arms spread dramatically.

"But where's Nataline?" Jude asked.

"She's already in the location for your next challenge." Chris smirked. He then pressed something on his wrist and soon they were all enveloped in a bright light.

"Whoa!" Tatiana exclaimed. Before they knew it, they teleported to the garden of the sci-fi mansion. After their eyes adjusted to their surroundings, they looked around at the place.

"Where a-are we?" Phoebe asked meekly.

"Oh look, there's Nataline." Marvin pointed to the front doors where Nataline stood, waiting for them to arrive.

"Good morning." She greeted with a wave.

"Good morning!" Valerie waved back.

"Now follow me so I can explain the challenge." Chris said and headed inside the mansion. Everyone else followed him inside and most of them gasped in surprise at the magnificent indoors.

"Is this Nataline's new home?" Felix asked with widened eyes.

"All this because she won one challenge?" Desmond raised an eyebrow.

"Will I get one too if I win a challenge?" Marvin wondered out loud.

"If that's the case then I'm giving it my two hundred percent in this next challenge!" Tatiana exclaimed giddily.

"Quiet down!" Chris ordered. "I'll explain the purpose of this mansion here in just a second." He motioned for everyone to sit in the sofas in the foyer.

"Those resemble the colors of our old teams." Nicholas remarked.

"Then let's sit on the couches of our respective teams y'all. For old times' sake." Cassie suggested as she flopped down on the green couch. Soon everyone was seated in the sofa representing their old team when they started out.

"This is pretty nostalgic." Felix sighed as he relaxed in the red sofa.

"It's pretty cool, right?" Arnold grinned as he sat down on the blue sofa. Jude sat down beside him.

"Kinda wish our old teammates could enjoy this too." The marksman said.

"Believe me, we get the VIP treatment back at the resort." Valerie giggled.

"Enough of the reminiscing, we got a challenge to do!" Chris interrupted. Everyone turned to face the host as he stood in the middle. "This challenge is pretty simple. It's a game of tag." He said simply.

"What?" Terrance blinked.

"Are you serious?" Lucy deadpanned.

"It looks h-harmless enough." Phoebe sighed in relief.

"To be more specific, I call it the Virus Tag." The host exclaimed.

"There's the sci-fi attachment to it." Cassie laughed.

"In this challenge, your job is to find a hiding spot in any place in this mansion." Chris explained as he motioned all around him. "The 'It' will try to find you and tag you. Getting touched in the slightest will get you infected with a virus that will force your avatar to flicker out so I hope your dodging skills are on point today!"

"Can't we just outrun that person?" Arnold asked, feeling confident.

"You won't be able to, no matter how fast you are." Chris smirked. "I've made sure of that."

"So who's the 'It'?" Marvin asked.

"I was just getting to that." Chris said irritably. "The 'It' is Delilah." He snapped his fingers and the grand doors swung open to reveal Delilah. The girl strode forward with purpose and stood in front of the contestants.

"Delilah!" Arnold exclaimed. "Long time no see."

"True. I mean, I was eliminated second." Delilah said with a shrug. "But I'm happy to get to be a part of the challenge."

"Her?" Cyrus scoffed. "She isn't that fast."

"Like I said, I've made sure she is." Chris repeated. "Now that we're all properly acquainted, let's get this show on the road!" He exclaimed. "I'll give you all fifteen minutes to explore the mansion a bit and find a hiding spot. When you hear the airhorn, that means the challenge has officially started. The last person to be found and tagged wins the challenge and immunity!"

At that, everyone got to their feet and scrambled off, hastily going around the mansion while finding a safe place to hide. The camera followed Cassie, Marvin, and Jude as they ran towards the back of the mansion through a hallway, where they came upon a back door, the design less grand than the front doors but with a glass on the upper half.

"Is that a swimming pool and some lawn chairs?" Jude looked surprised as he peeked out.

"We can hide somewhere there y'all." Cassie suggested as she opened the door and the three of them went out. Aside from the large backyard pool and lawn chairs, they saw that the grass is neatly trimmed and there are flowers off to the side, much like the ones in the main garden.

"I'll go to the gazebo." Marvin said as he pointed east, and they followed his gaze to a white and light blue gazebo. The table in the middle had a white cloth draped over it and Marvin went there to hide underneath.

"Maybe I can take a dive and hold my breath." Jude thought aloud as he approached the pool.

"Ya gotta do what you gotta do to win." Cassie shrugged. "I'll be at the garden then." She ran off in the other direction towards the main garden.

The scene switched and panned to Lucy and Cyrus who entered the dining room.

"Let's see here." The red eyed girl glanced around quickly and then saw the kitchen at the far back. "I'll go hide there." She smirked and silently entered the kitchen. She saw that there are two robot chefs in standby mode at a corner, a large sink with only one dirty plate and utensils, and the cooking area at the other side of the room. She walked to the cooking area and found a space to crouch on beneath the metallic counter. "This should do." She said as she got comfortable.

Cyrus, now left alone in the dining room, began approaching the table and admiring the table cloth adorning it.

"This gives me some inspiration." The emo boy chuckled then decided to duck under it. "And the cloth is thick enough so my silhouette can't be seen." He smirked to himself. "This is easy."

 **~Confessional~**

 **Lucy:** I don't usually play tag or hide and seek because I don't have many friends but I know the basics enough. Plus, my intellect will get me through this, not to mention how cunning I am. *she gave an evil smile as her red eye glowed*

 **Jude:** I used to be pretty good at this game when I was a kid. I'd find all sorts of creative ways to hide, and I guess now it's holding my breath for as long as I can underwater.

 **~End Confessional~**

* * *

Valerie and Nataline ran side by side and ended up in the boutique. They saw that the room is filled with gorgeous dresses and suits, most of which are sci-fi themed. They blinked at the sight in amazement and momentarily forgot about the challenge.

"This is so cool!" Valerie squealed. "I wanna win the challenge now so I can get to wear these cute dresses!"

"I should try some on during my free time." Nataline noted to herself.

"Why didn't you? You had all morning." Valerie pointed out. Nataline gave a side grin.

"I had matters elsewhere." The lady simply said before resuming her search of a place to hide.

The two girls circled around the boutique to find a suitable place to hide before coming to a stop at the specific places they chose. Valerie went ahead and ducked behind a clothes rack that was also covered by shoes on thick pedestals, her relatively small height able to squeeze through. Nataline, on the other hand, hid inside a dressing room and made sure to lock the door, believing it to be the best place to hide and to take cover.

The scene switched to Nicholas as he explored the mansion for a bit before coming across a large carpet at the far corner. Curiously, he stepped on it and began walking on the carpet more loudly.

"I knew it." He muttered when he stepped on a rather hollow wood tile covered by the carpet. "A secret passage?" He hoped as he rolled up the carpet. As expected, a trap door was revealed right there. He opened it and saw a ladder leading down to the basement. "Perfect." He smiled a bit before making his descent.

 **~Confessional~**

 **Nicholas:** I locked the basement entrance from the inside and found a good place to hide despite my height. I should be safe for sure. Then again, maybe Chris chose Delilah because he knows she's a good player when it comes to these kinds of games.

 **~End Confessional~**

Terrance and Phoebe went in the same direction in another part of the mansion in the first floor. The doll faced girl kept looking over her shoulder in slight fear.

"Chris didn't sound the airhorn yet. There's basically no need to worry for now you know." The techie boy pointed out to her as they went on.

"B-But what if it's all a t-trick and Delilah is already a-after us?" Phoebe asked anxiously.

"Surely he won't break his own rules." Terrance said before coming to a stop in front of a door. "I wonder what's inside here." He went inside and saw the room was filled with different kinds of machinery as well as machine parts. Two long worktables can be seen and various tools and laid out on them. "A mechanic room of sorts?" He went inside. Phoebe peeked her head around the door then went in after him.

"A-Are you sure this is a g-good place to hide?" Phoebe asked. She then saw the head of a terminator and squealed in fright. "E-Eeek!"

"Relax, those aren't active. Yet." Terrance said with a side smirk as he looked around. "Anyway, if you don't feel like you can hide here then you go search somewhere else. I'll find a place to hide in here."

"O-Okay." Phoebe frowned a bit and left the room to go search for another hiding place. She didn't walk too far until she came across another door. She tentatively opened it to reveal a bathroom. "Maybe this w-will work." She whispered as she slowly closed the door behind her and locked it. The bathroom had a simple white design but it's clean and complete with a bathtub and a shower area with three shower heads. The doll faced girl went to go hide in the tub and swung the curtains to cover her.

Meanwhile, Tatiana and Felix ascended the stairs and went down the second floor hallway to search for a room.

"I wonder if Nataline explored all these rooms already." Felix wondered as they walked.

"Maybe she did. She's a pretty thorough person, I believe." Tatiana answered as she opened the door to a room. She gasped when she realized they had entered the arcade room. Rows of arcade game machines, both old and new, were lined up in two walls. An air hockey table rests at the center of the room, and on the far side is a lounge, with big tv with a console connected to it, accompanied by a comfortable carpet with large pillows. "I found heaven!" She exclaimed in delight.

"No kidding?" Felix went to peek inside too and his eyes widened. Brushing past Tatiana and rushing inside, the prankster looked around with a face of pure happiness. "Dude, this is so awesome!"

"I know right!" Tatiana giggled. "I hope Chris lets us use this once the challenge is over."

"Same here." Felix nodded but then remembered why they were there in the first place. "Wait, but we still have to find a place to hide."

"We can hide here." Tatiana motioned towards the gaming lounge. "We can make a pillow fort!"

"Heh, I remember doing that when I was a kid." Felix said. "But it's going to look suspicious, don't you think?"

"We can ambush them with the pillows." Tatiana exclaimed and clapped her hands. The gamer girl went over to the pile of pillows and began stacking them.

"That's actually a good idea. Chris said that one touch would get us eliminated, but these pillows are big enough to create a distraction to buy us enough time to escape." Felix grinned as he helped her create their pillow fort.

"This is gonna be so cool." Tatiana said giddily as she got another pillow.

 **~Confessional~**

 **Tatiana:** The arcade back in my hometown isn't that good to be honest. Some machines are broken and the people there can be quite messy. But here, it's a gaming paradise! I'm glad Felix understands that feeling. Maybe he's a gamer at heart too. If that's the case then I kinda feel guilty to have voted for him back then.

 **~End Confessional~**

* * *

The camera panned back into the second floor hallway, this time following Arnold as he made his way to one of the rooms. He opened it and couldn't see anything due to the lights being off. After flipping on the switched, he found out that the room was actually quite simplistic. A simple bed with one pillow, a nightstand, and a closet was all the room had to offer. The walls were cream colored but bare.

"For a mansion, this looks like a common room." Arnold frowned as he flopped down on the bed. "I wonder where I can hide." He wondered to himself as he looked around. He rested his gaze on the closet and sighed to himself. "Better than nothing I suppose." He went and began fitting his body inside the closet.

The scene switched to follow Desmond down the other hallway of the second floor. The boy seemed to glanced towards the wall and ceiling for something.

"Maybe there is a secret in this mansion that would be useful for hiding." He muttered to himself as he continued to search to prove his theory.

He jumped up a bit to grab the small handle visible before moving back to avoid the long ladder that came down once the hatch opened. It revealed to be a way going up the attic, which made Desmond chuckle.

"Nobody will suspect me here. I bet even Delilah won't be able to reach this." Desmond smirked and climbed up the attic before lifting the ladder then shutting the hatch from the inside.

 **~Confessional~**

 **Arnold:** Hiding in the closet seems like a movie cliche, but it's kind of practical too. I mean, can you imagine if a person built a pillow fort to hide? *he smirked*

 **Desmond:** I wonder if I should have sought out the basement instead. But then again, height is my advantage here. If Delilah can't reach this place then I basically win this challenge.

 **~End Confessional~**

* * *

After the fifteen minutes had passed, Chris sounded the airhorn to signal the start of the challenge. Delilah, who was in front of him, covered her ears and frowned.

"Was that really necessary?" Delilah asked as she sighed.

"I'm the host here! I can do whatever I want." Chris smirked. "Now get to work!" Delilah ran off to go find the contestants with a running speed faster than she originally can do.

Delilah ran out the back door and scanned her surroundings. She saw that the poolside was empty and the gazebo as well. She slowly walked along the stone path and kept her eyes peeled. Suddenly, she sensed movement coming from the gazebo, specifically under the table cloth. She grinned and ran towards it, her hand reaching out. As if on instinct, Marvin rolled to the side to avoid her touch.

"Found you, handsome." Delilah winked at him then quickly put her foot down the pushed herself to the side, changing direction in time before Marvin could react again. She managed to grab his arm then let go.

"Well that's it for me." Marvin sighed as he looked down at the arm she touched. Green lines formed and spread out from the source at blinding speed and before he could say anything else, his avatar disappeared.

"Too bad. I really liked you to be my underling in the merge." Delilah shook her head. "If only I wasn't voted out." She walked out the gazebo and began looking around again. She then looked up and saw that the lights in a room on the second floor was on. "Looks like somebody doesn't know how to play this game." She giggled to herself then began scaling up the wall effectively. She didn't notice Cassie peeking her head out to see her do that.

 **~Confessional~**

 **Cassie:** Well I'll be. Looks like Chris was right when he said that the 'It' was something else. I saw Marvin go down, so I know that her reflexes are really good.

 **~End Confessional~**

Delilah slowly opened the window a bit then her body glowed green and morphed into the point where she became the essence of a serpent. She then slid down the window before morphing back to her original self. Looking around, she found that the bed sheets were slightly rumpled so she knew that someone is inside. She looked down but found no one under the bed. She then looked to her side and smirked when she saw the closet. Walking silently towards it, she pulled back the door and shot her hand forward, palming Arnold in the chest.

"Ow!" The soccer player said in pain as he got pushed against the closet. "No need to be so pushy."

"Oh sorry." Delilah giggled. "Sometimes I don't know my own strength."

"Wait, how did you get in here? I didn't hear a thing." Arnold blinked as he stared at her grinning. But before she could answer his question, the green veins enveloped his body enough to make his avatar disappear.

"Looks like I'm slow at talking. I wish Chris buffed that about me." Delilah giggled as she silently left the room.

Delilah then walked downstairs to the first floor, where she whipped her head to the side towards the boutique.

"I can bet someone is here." Delilah narrowed her eyes as she slowly made her way inside. She scanned the room and found no sign of movement. She walked around a bit, keeping her eyes peeled. She then caught the slightest movement coming from the clothes rack near a pedestal of shoes. "Got you." She whispered with a grin as she dashed towards the spot with her arm forward to grab whoever was hiding.

Valerie burst through from behind the clothes rack and narrowly avoided Delilah as the latter's arm went above her. The flirt squealed and didn't look back as she ran out of the room. "Aahhh!"

"Darn it." Delilah cursed as she was about to chase after her when she saw the doorknob move a little in one of the dressing rooms. She crouched down and saw Nataline's legs in one of them. "But not a complete loss." She ran towards the dressing room and her body glowed green as her aura changed into that of a serpent once again. She did a slide and her aura looked like a serpent slithering past the gap in the dressing room. She stood up directly in front of Nataline and smirked.

"Not yet." Nataline threw down a smoke grenade in between them and Delilah recoiled back before she could touch her. The smoke spread out quickly and Nataline tried to open the door to slip past, but suddenly felt a hand on her wrist. She gasped in surprise before her avatar flickered out.

 **~Confessional~**

 **Nataline:** I knew that we were doing this challenge because I went inside the Cyan Protoss' reward door and then I went inside the Silver Terminators' reward door for a free asset that will help me in the challenge. I'm quite certain that a smoke bomb would distract Delilah long enough for me to escape, so how did she get me? Or maybe I used it at the wrong time?

 **Delilah:** If you wanna know how I did that, it's because Chris made my eye vision way better than before. I can sense the slightest movement happen and I'm nearly immune to vision impairing things. Smoke bombs? Ha!

 **~End Confessional~**

Delilah walked along the first floor hallway while keeping her eyes peeled. She went out the front door and looked around the garden, not noticing Cassie hiding behind some bushes. Walking down the stone path, she came across the gazebo once again.

"I kinda hoped he would win." She sighed to herself as she passed by it. She then saw some bubbles in the swimming pool she hadn't noticed before. "I wonder who hid themselves here?" She giggled softly then went over there on the edge of the pool where she saw the bubbled come from. She crouched down and bode her time.

"Hnngg!" Jude's head emerged from under the pool with a gasp, panting for air. He turned around only to find Delilah there, smiling. "Damn."

"Too bad." Delilah said as she poked his forehead. It didn't take long for Jude's avatar to disappear in blue sparks once the virus had spread. "But it was a good plan, I'll give you that." She stood back up and went on her way to the back door to enter the mansion again.

Cyrus sighed in boredom as he sat underneath the dining table. He fiddled with his thumbs hoping that it would entertain him, but that didn't work. He was about to groan loudly when he heard the door to the dining room open. He breathe slowly to not be heard as Delilah went inside and looked around. After a while, the girl went inside the kitchen to search there. Cyrus breathed a sigh of relief and stayed put.

Inside the kitchen, Delilah narrowed her eyes at the robots still offline on the corner. She went past them and went towards the large counter and sink. She then heard movement coming from behind her and so she swiped her arm backwards. Lucy reacted fast and leaned back then placed her hand on the counter and flipped backwards to keep her distance.

"Lucy." Delilah glared at her and faced her, specifically taking note of her red eye. "Sarah told me everything."

"Did she now? Well it doesn't matter." Lucy smirked and grinned evilly. "You were too weak to compete anyway, it's time I prove that point again." She reached for a knife from the knife rack and threw it at the other girl. Delilah swayed to the side to dodge it easily and placed her hand on the counter to flip to her side. Lucy threw another knife but she swatted it to the side and landed in front of her. "What!?"

"I don't have time for this." Delilah sighed and grabbed Lucy's wrist before the other girl could recoil back.

"No!" Lucy scowled as she saw the virus creep up her skin.

"Yes." Delilah smirked victoriously as she saw Lucy's avatar disappear. "And that's for eliminating me."

 **~Confessional~**

 **Delilah:** Well that was so satisfying. I forgave Sarah for voting for me, because I know now that Lucy is the real vermin here. *she hisses a bit* Oops, sorry. Guess I got carried away with my spirit animal there.

 **~End Confessional~**

Delilah went up the second floor once again after seeing no one else in the kitchen completely missing Cyrus hiding in the dining room. She opened the door that led to the arcade room and looked around, the same way she did with the other rooms. She instantly took notice of the pillow fort in the gaming lounge.

"Seriously?" Delilah called out to whoever was inside.

"Say the password or you can't get in." Tatiana answered.

"She isn't gonna fall for that." Felix sighed.

"Well she's gonna fall because of our combined might." Tatiana argued back.

"We'll see about that, won't we?" Delilah grinned and went over to the lounge. She saw the pillow door open and a pillow get shot out to stop her. She only pushed it aside without it breaking her momentum and soon slammed into the makeshift fort. She shot her arms forward in multiple directions but was shocked when Tatiana and Felix dashed out from opposite sides, each of them holding two pillows.

"Abandon fort!" Tatiana exclaimed and headed for the door with Felix.

"Not so fast." Delilah got up and chased after them, easily gaining on them. She swiped her hand at Felix, but was blocked by the pillow he was holding.

"Nice try." Felix smirked and ran out the door.

"You shall not pass!" Tatiana said as she blocked the door and held her pillows as if it's a tower shield.

"Hey, what are you doing?" Felix blinked as he stopped. "Get over here!"

"Go on ahead without me." Tatiana said dramatically. "The leader has to sacrifice herself for her comrades."

"Well I mean, if you insist I guess." Felix shrugged and ran down the hallway, leaving the gamer girl there to deal with Delilah.

"Quite noble of you. But I'll still be able to find him." Delilah said as she pushed against the pillows that protected Tatiana.

"You won't if I buy him enough time to find a good hiding place!" Tatiana exclaimed and pushed her back. Delilah staggered for a moment but slid down afterwards to touch her in the ankle. Tatiana widened her eyes at the sudden action and wasn't able to defend against it. "No way!"

"Game over." Delilah said as she saw Tatiana's avatar flicker out. "Another good strategy, better than Jude's." She nodded in approval and went out of the room. She looked down both hallways and found no sign of Felix. "Guess she really did buy enough time for him to escape."

* * *

Chris stood outside the gates of the mansion, facing the camera before him with his signature smirk.

"Things are getting intense for a simple game of tag." Chris chuckled. "But hey, nobody wants to get infected. Almost half the contestants have lost their shot at immunity tonight and it's down to Nicholas, Valerie, Phoebe, Cyrus, Desmond, Felix, Terrance, and Cassie. Which one of them will be next to feel the serpent's venom, and who will win this challenge?"

The camera panned back inside the mansion following Valerie as she silently walked down the hallway but covering less ground. The flirt glanced back from time to time as she went on her way.

"Delilah sure is making it hard for me to win." Valerie panted a bit. "I barely even dodged her that time."

"Don't worry, this time you won't." Delilah said from behind her. Valerie whirled back in surprise but before she could scream, the former covered her mouth and restrained her until the flirt's avatar flickered out. "Silent yet deadly." Delilah giggled as she continued down the hallway.

Desmond was still hiding in the attic, narrowing his eyes at the dust and cobwebs around. "For a luxurious mansion, they sure don't keep this attic clean. Maybe they're going for the horror and suspense vibe up here." He went to a worn out wooden chest and opened it. He gasped at what he saw. "Impossible."

Inside were some of the assets that were used up in the past challenges. The ones in the chest were Terrance's EMP grenades, Harvey's smoke bombs, and Jane's rope. "Are you saying we can use these again?" He muttered to himself as he reached out to grab a smoke bomb. Just as he did, two hands rested on his shoulders and Delilah's head peeked out from over his shoulder, her aura glowing green and her eyes resembling that of a serpent's.

"What do we have here?" Delilah giggled and hissed a bit.

"Back off!" Desmond exclaimed and threw down the smoke bomb. To his surprise and disappointment, it just rolled along the wooden floor and didn't explode.

"Guess you're out of luck." Delilah laughed as she watched Desmond's avatar flicker out.

 **~Confessional~**

 **Desmond:** So these assets are useless to me anyway. They're just for show. The only thing useful in this mansion are the reward doors from both teams. Too bad I won't be able to utilize it just yet.

 **~End Confessional~**

Just as Delilah dropped down from the attic, she immediately saw Felix poking his head out from a room in the other hallway. The prankster saw her staring and ducked his head inside and locked the door.

"Won't help." Delilah giggled as she went over and her essence glowed green once more, taking the form of a serpent. She crouched down and her body became one with her aura, enabling her to slip past the gap between the door and the floor.

Over on the other side, Felix was frantically searching for a hiding place when he saw Delilah's green essence slip through the gap. "What!?" The prankster looked towards the bed and hustled to go under it. He tried to control his breathing as he saw Delilah morph back into her normal body once her entire essence had made it inside the room.

"Bad move hiding in here." Delilah called out to him as she walked to where the wardrobe is. "It's over, Felix." She burst it open but found no one there.

"Now's my chance." Felix crawled out of the bed quietly then jumped up to make a mad dash for the door, but suddenly got knocked against the wall by Delilah. "Ow!"

"Sorry. Don't know my own limits." Delilah grinned as she pinned him there. Felix tried to struggled but his avatar flickered out before he could do anything. "And that's one more out of the way."

She went back downstairs after making sure that the second floor had no one else hiding. She went down another hallway and saw the door that leads to the mechanic room.

"If I had to guess, I bet Terrance is in here." Delilah smirked to herself as she entered the room. She closed the door behind her and failed to noticed Phoebe sticking her head out from the bathroom which she hid in.

Terrance heard the door open and kept himself hidden behind a large control terminal in the room. He took out a remote and pressed a button. Two terminators in the room came to life and locked in on Delilah, then proceeded to engage.

"Really, Terrance?" Delilah called out to no one in particular as she swayed to the side to avoid the terminator's metal hand reaching out for her. Her essence turned green and the aura of a serpent formed with the tail coiling around one of the robot's body and crushing it with little difficulty. The other terminator got a gun and was about to fire it but Delilah weaved forward and knocked the gun out of its hand before using her other hand to chop off the head. She held up the broken head and threw it at the control terminal where Terrance hid.

"Tsk." Terrance grunted and moved away from it once he heard it crash against the control terminal, sparks flying and the machine went offline as a result. "What did Chris do to you?"

"Made me better, of course." Delilah said as if it's the easiest question in the world. "Faster and more deadly like a serpent." She hissed a bit then weaved in a zigzag pattern towards Terrance. The techie boy retaliated by igniting his psionic blade and slashing at her, but she easily avoided it and grasped his arm. "But your resistance is pretty creative, I'll give you that." She winked at him.

"Whatever." Terrance sighed then his avatar disappeared.

 **~Confessional~**

 **Terrance:** I was sure my plan would work, but I guess I underestimated the buffs Chris gave her. It's almost as if she became an asset itself.

 **~End Confessional~**

Delilah walked out of the mechanic room and saw the bathroom door wide open. She curiously went to go see if anyone was inside, but found it empty. She then heard a short squeal coming from around the corner and whipped her head back, only to see a flash of a dress cloth disappear into the corner.

"Was that the small anxious girl?" She wondered to herself as she walked leisurely. "I should take my time with this one. It's not like she'll go very far." Delilah giggled and rounded the rounded the corner where Phoebe had disappeared to. Seeing no one in the hallway, she looked around and saw a single door to the side. With a smirk, she strode there, walking loudly to further make the doll faced girl anxious. But to her surprise, she noticed a hollow sound being made when she stepped on a specific part of the hallway floor.

"What?" Delilah curiously stomped on the ground and heard the hollow sound again. "Is this a secret room?" She crouched down and saw a gap that could act as a handle. Lifting it, she realized she stumbled upon the basement. "Nice spot for a basement." She remarked then glanced towards the door. "I'll come for you later." She giggled and continued down to the basement.

Nicholas, having heard the basement trap door open, silently stood in between two dusty shelves, taking care not to breathe in the dust and sneeze. He heard the footsteps draw closer and lowered his breathing to remain quiet.

"There's no one in here." Delilah sighed as she looked around the dark basement. "Maybe no one found this yet. Such a shame. Could be a good place to hole up." Nicholas heard her footsteps become more distant. After a short while, he stepped out of his hiding place once he thought it was safe.

"She's gone?" Nicholas glanced around the room for a bit. He suddenly saw a blur of green to his left and tried to jumped to his right but Delilah grabbed his wrist in time.

"Got you!" Delilah hissed a bit and smirked. "To think you fell for that trick, guess the detective Nicholas has fallen again."

"You were only able to defeat me because of the asset Chris gave you." Nicholas said evenly as he saw the virus spread around his arm and up to his body. "I still do not regret voting for you that day." He said before his avatar completely disappeared.

"Why does he still act so composed?" Delilah hissed in frustration as she went up the stairs to leave the basement.

Upon closing the hatch, she glanced towards the door where she thought Phoebe had gone. She went over to open it when she heard something break in the dining room. She narrowed her eyes down the hallway that leads to the dining room.

"I could have sworn I cleared out the dining room." Delilah hissed before going over to investigate.

Meanwhile, Cyrus was looking down shards of a broken glass with an annoyed look. He rushed over to the curtains and hid behind there when he heard Delilah's footsteps approaching. He made sure his body fit the thick curtains to conceal himself just as Delilah arrived.

"Whoever was in here was definitely not careful." Delilah called out with a giggle. "I wonder who it was that made such a careless mistake." She eyed the curtains and saw shoes sticking out from under. "Not to mention whoever it is definitely doesn't know how to recover well. I can see you over there."

Cyrus sighed irritably and left his hiding place. "Can we just get this over with?" He rolled his eyes.

"If you wish, emo kid." Delilah hissed and over to him. Cyrus tried to outmaneuver her but she grabbed his hair and pushed him back.

"Hey!" Cyrus said in pain as his back hit the wall.

"Don't blame me, you were trying to escape." Delilah defended as Cyrus' avatar disappeared. "Not that standing still would make me more merciful." She shrugged and took one last glance around the dining room to fully make sure no one else is there with her. Suddenly, she heard movement coming from out in the garden. With a grin, she left to go after it.

 **~Confessional~**

 **Delilah:** Was Cyrus always hiding in the dining room even when I dealt with Lucy in the kitchen? That's actually good on his part. Too bad he screwed up and got the venom. *she hisses playfully with a wink*

 **Cyrus:** So I saw a beetle go under the table and I got startled. It's not my fault I got this fear of those little demons!

 **~End Confessional~**

Going out the back door once again, she then caught Cassie and Phoebe trying to find a new hiding place. The ranch girl looked over her shoulder and saw Delilah.

"Aw shucks. Guess we're caught." She tipped her hat backward. The doll faced girl looked back as well and backed up in fear.

"W-What should we do?" Phoebe looked scared as she hid behind Cassie.

"We gotta survive." Cassie said simply.

"I don't think you know how this works." Delilah interrupted. "Only one person can get immunity. Which means, only one of you can truly be safe tonight."

"Then just go ahead and get me eliminated." Cassie declared as she stepped forward. "Give Phoebe the immunity."

"C-Cassie?" Phoebe frowned as she saw her friend willing to make the sacrifice. "I can't ask you t-to do that for m-me."

"I insist." Cassie smiled at her and tipped her hat forward.

"Hey I do get a say in this you know." Delilah interjected. "And I think I'll try extra hard to make sure it's Phoebe who takes the fall." She giggled.

"Yer welcome to try." Cassie leaned forward to prepare for her assault. Delilah's aura turned green and ran in a zigzag pattern to try and avoid Cassie. However, the ranch girl predicted her movements and went to block her path.

"Not bad." Delilah stopped just in time before she could touched the ranch girl and moved back a few steps. She saw Phoebe head for the gazebo. "But it looks like coordination isn't your strong suit." She dashed as fast as she could towards the doll faced girl, who saw her and shrieked then ran faster.

"Oh no ya don't!" Cassie exclaimed and threw herself at Delilah. She managed to grab her by the waist and bring her down just as the latter's hand was a centimeter away from touching Phoebe's hand.

"No!" Delilah said as she was brought down on the ground. Cassie's weight didn't weigh much on her after a while since her avatar disappeared, but by the time she stood up, Chris' hologram appeared beside her.

"Alright Delilah, that's the end of the challenge." Chris announced. Phoebe heard this and slowly approached them, still taking anxious glances towards Delilah. "Phoebe, you have won today's challenge! Congratulations on your immunity!"

"I w-won?" Phoebe looked genuinely surprised.

"That's right. And as a bonus for winning the challenge, you get to sleep here in the mansion!" Chris exclaimed as he motioned his hands back at the mansion.

"R-Really?" Phoebe looked really happy now. "Thank y-you so much! Can I invite Cassie to m-move in as w-well?"

"Sadly you can't." Chris laughed. "This place is for those who have won challenges in the merge. So as long as Cassie hasn't won immunity yet, she can't live nor visit this place to see you."

"I s-see." Phoebe frowned.

"For someone who has just won, you don't look too happy." Delilah remarked. "Trust me, these things will go a long way for you."

"If y-you say so." Phoebe was still frowning as she nodded.

"I already told everyone to group up at the lobby after an hour for the elimination ceremony." Chris said to her "You'd better go and talk to your friends about the vote." And with that, his avatar flickered out. Delilah looked at the doll faced girl intently.

"If I were you, I'd consider voting for Nicholas or Lucy." She said. "Those two are dangerous. Especially Lucy. You do not want to be victimized by her schemes." Her avatar flickered out soon after she said that.

"L-Lucy? She's a b-bad person?" Phoebe wondered to herself as she walked back to the foyer.

 **~Confessional~**

 **Phoebe:** I w-wonder if Delilah was just l-lying to me. I don't think Lucy is e-evil at all. But then a-again, I'm n-not so good at reading p-people's intentions.

 **Terrance:** It's that time again. This time for sure, I'll get Nataline out of the picture.

 **Desmond:** Time to gather the votes against Cassie once again. Marvin better be in on this plan. He has to if he wants to survive in this game.

 **~End Confessional~**

* * *

Cassie, Valerie, and Phoebe all met up in the foyer and sat on the green sofa.

"The Green Drell, huh." Valerie patted the couch. "Someone get Marvin over here so we can be complete."

"Couldn't find the guy." Cassie frowned and tipped her hat backward. "I wonder why he wouldn't come to the alliance meeting."

"A-And isn't Cyrus also a G-Green Drell member?" Phoebe added.

"Ew, no emo boys in this couch allowed." Valerie rolled her eyes. "I just didn't say that earlier because I didn't wanna start a scene."

"Why not? Ya look like you always wanna start a scene." Cassie laughed a bit.

"Not this time." Valerie winked. "We're at the merge. Gotta change up the approach."

"S-So, who will w-we vote for?" Phoebe asked them. "Delilah talked t-to me earlier after the c-challenge. She suggested w-we vote for Lucy."

"Why her?" Valerie asked.

"She s-said something about h-her being dangerous. Nicholas t-too." Phoebe answered while looking a bit anxious.

"I agree that Nicholas is dangerous but we ain't gonna vote for Lucy." Cassie said to them. "I'm trying to get her and Jude over on our alliance to keep us strong, y'know."

"Why didn't you tell me that? I could have helped." Valerie frowned. "I love socializing."

"But it's for strategy." Cassie pointed out. "Ya ain't so good with that."

"Well yeah but I can try." Valerie insisted before slumping down on the couch. "Fine, let's just talk about the vote already."

"We should vote for Desmond." Cassie declared. "He's been out to get rid of us ever since the team switch. He's gotta go."

"That reminds me, both you and Jane received so many votes in the last elimination." Valerie remembered.

"Y-Yeah. It was s-scary." Phoebe frowned and curled up.

"I don't know who else voted for us, but I know Desmond's involved in it somehow." Cassie stated. "We should take him out tonight. I'll go ask Lucy and Jude to see if I can get their votes for this."

"I'll join you." Valerie beamed and stood up. "Like I said, let me do the talking."

"Well if ya want." Cassie shrugged and they both left to go find the two.

 **~Confessional~**

 **Valerie:** I kinda wonder why Cassie wanted to be in an alliance with those two, but I'm not complaining! More friends for us! Desmond better watch out, because I'm coming for him. *she winks*

 **~End Confessional~**

Terrance entered the gaming room and saw Tatiana playing Pac-Man in one of the arcade machines. "You said you wanted to talk?"

Tatiana stopped playing and turned to face him. "Yep!" She exclaimed.

"Are you sure it's not just because you have no one to play with over here?" Terrance raised an eyebrow as he adjusted his glasses.

"Well that's only one thing." Tatiana pouted. "But I really wanted to talk. Look, you have to leave Lucy's party."

"What do you mean?" Terrance asked as he sat down in the lounge and Tatiana joined him.

"She's just manipulating you! She's evil! The final boss, even!" Tatiana exclaimed while waving her arms around to make an emphasis.

"Wait are you talking about her red eye?" Terrance realized. "Look, she's a good strategist and can help me get far in the merge. I suggest we join her instead."

"No!" Tatiana shook her head vigorously. "You don't understand. She's using you!"

"I don't think so." Terrance placed his hands in his hoodie pockets. "Plus even if she takes me to the final two or three, I can take her on."

"But what about the honorable path of heroes?" Tatiana frowned.

"There is no honor in this show." Terrance retorted.

"There can still be if you leave and join me instead. You know, the Red Sith party." Tatiana suggested but Terrance stood up and turned to leave.

"I'm sorry but i can't go back there." Terrance sighed.

"Is this about Nataline? I can talk to her and make peace." Tatiana insisted.

"I don't want to make peace! I want her voted out!" Terrance snapped. He then saw Tatiana's shocked face and his expression softened. He sighed again and opened the door. "Sorry, but I've made up my mind."

"But what about my chocobo-" Tatiana didn't finish her statement when Terrance closed the door behind him.

 **~Confessional~**

 **Tatiana:** What should I do? I can't vote for Nataline because she's my friend and in my party. I don't want to vote for Lucy now because it's going to make Terrance mad at me. Who should I vote for then? Maybe someone that isn't a part of either party?

 **Terrance:** I guess I shouldn't have snapped at Tatiana like that, but she's the one who doesn't understand. Lucy made it possible for me to vote out Wesley so she can make it possible for me to vote out Nataline. I just have to stick with her until the plan works.

 **~End Confessional~**

Desmond, Felix, Marvin, and Arnold met up in the attic to discuss about the vote.

"We look like we're about to do some secret cult or something." Felix snickered.

"This will give us more privacy." Desmond said to the prankster. "Now, first things first." He turned his attention to Marvin. "Who did you vote for last night?"

"Jane." Marvin said without hesitation.

"Good enough, but from now on you have to stick to the plan if you want your vote to hold water." Desmond said as he glanced at all of them. "We were lucky Jane has many opponents, but she's gone now, so we should weigh our options."

"Weigh them?" Arnold rolled his eyes. "Let's just vote for Cassie like we did last night. Pretty sure Marvin here has no objections, right dude?" He nudged Marvin in the shoulder playfully.

"Yeah, no objections here." Marvin nodded.

"And when Cassie leaves, her alliance falls." Desmond smirked. "Now all that's left is to do one of two things. We can either get more people to vote with us, or we can scatter the seeds of doubt to make them split their votes."

"Seeds of doubt!" Felix exclaimed as he raised his hand. "That's way cooler than getting more allies."

"I agree with him, and it's not like people will vote with us." Arnold pointed out. "Let's face it, we're underdogs."

"You have a point." Desmond conceded. "So we'll make sure the votes are split then."

"And our main vote is Cassie." Marvin said.

"Yeah." Arnold nodded. He then put his fist forward. "Let's go team!" The other hesitated but shrugged it off and they joined fists then did a group fist pump in the air.

"Let's make this merge something to remember by!" Felix exclaimed.

 **~Confessional~**

 **Marvin:** I can't tell Phoebe how I'm voting tonight. All I can do is comfort her. I'm doing this for both of us. I know this. So why does it feel like I'm doing the wrong thing?

 **Felix:** I can't wait for the elimination ceremony. I just know things will go well partly because it's not me on the line, but also because I'm going to become a part of a major alliance if this pulls through without a hitch.

 **Arnold:** I know being the underdog sucks, but they're also the fan favorites. Tonight, the Cassie dynasty falls! *he laughs heartily*

 **~End Confessional~**

Lucy and Jude were hanging out by the pool, their feet dipped in the pool as they talked.

"So who are we voting for tonight?" Jude asked her.

"Terrance wants Nataline gone tonight." Lucy mused. "Let's just go with that for tonight."

"Really? You aren't going to think really hard on it?" Jude asked. Lucy raised an eyebrow at him. "Not that I doubt you or anything! Just asking is all."

"I know what you're thinking." Lucy giggled a bit and gave a side smirk. "You're thinking, 'why does it look like she has no big game plan', right?" Jude blinked and looked away in embarrassment. "I thought so."

"It's because I always look forward to you making the plans for us. I thought maybe your mind isn't into it yet." Jude tried to explain but Lucy put a finger to his lips.

"It's alright, I understand. The reason why I'm laying low for a while is simple." Lucy looked up at the night sky clouded in pollution and thick layers of gas. "We're not the only players. We can't always be the ones taking the spotlight. Let others do their own damage."

"I get it now." Jude nodded. "But do you think we have enough votes to take out Nataline?"

"Maybe, or maybe not." Lucy shrugged. "Back in the Cyan Protoss, I pulled some strings to make sure she got voted out, but this time I want to see if Terrance can pull it off. I want him to play mastermind tonight."

"Do you think it will work?" Jude asked.

"We'll see. And of course, we'll try to help him." Lucy giggled. She then noticed Cassie and Valerie go out the back door and approach them. "Yes, ladies?"

"Howdy." Cassie tipped her hat forward. "We should talk about the vote."

"So formal." Valerie faux yawned. "Heya, new friends!" She kicked off her shoes and went to join them in the pool. "What's up?" She exclaimed cheerily.

"You're Valerie, right?" Jude grinned. "Nice to meet you." He shook her hand. Valerie winked and pointed at herself proudly.

"That's me! And nice to meet you too." The flirt said. "Now we'd love to stay and chat but the ceremony is like in thirty more minutes so we'll just cut to the chase for now." She winked. "We want you guys to help us out with the vote."

"Oh? And who do you have in mind?" Lucy asked.

"Desmond." The ranch girl stated. "Ya help us out by voting for him and we'll help ya out in the next elimination."

"It's a good deal, I assure you." Valerie said as she ran her hand down Jude's arm slowly.

"What do you think?" Jude looked towards Lucy for confirmation. The girl's red eye glowed a bit before she looked at Cassie.

"We'll consider it. We still aren't completely sure about all of this." Lucy said.

"But the ceremony is gonna start soon." Cassie pointed out.

"I know." Lucy smiled.

"Well if ya say so." Cassie looked at Valerie and motioned her head to the back door. "Let's go, we gotta meet up with Phoebe again.

"Coming.~" Valerie said in a sing song voice as she smiled at Jude and Lucy before joining her friend. "I'll see you guys soon! Hope you make a decision by then. It would really help us out." She giggled before they both went back inside through the back door.

"Those two are making moves now." Lucy glanced back at the door. "See what I mean now?"

"Yeah." Jude nodded. "So do we vote for Desmond?"

"That's up to you. I'll let you decide that without my opinion." Lucy smirked. "Just join me in my next big move soon."

"Really?" Jude blinked. "Well okay then." He laughed. Lucy giggled as well and had a sinister smile on her face, which the marksman didn't notice.

 **~Confessional~**

 **Lucy:** If Jude votes independently this round, it will draw attention away from us. I'm doing this to make sure Nicholas doesn't come up with a pattern to how the votes go. Either way, the names popping up for the chopping block aren't so bad either. *her red eye glows evilly*

 **Jude:** I'm not completely sure what Lucy has in mind but I'll go along with it. She's still the one calling the shots, even if she did say I should vote the way I want to.

 **~End Confessional~**

Nicholas and Nataline met up in Nataline's room to discuss their strategy.

"Did you design this room yourself?" The detective asked her as he looked around.

"Not really. But it suits my tastes." Nataline answered as she sat on the bed and Nicholas sat beside her.

"Ah, I see." Nicholas nodded. "Now we should talk about the vote. Are you alright with voting for Lucy again?"

"That would be fine, but I don't see why we can't seem to get the votes going that way." Nataline frowned. "Is there something else going on that we're not aware of?"

"I can only think of one hindrance." Nicholas placed a hand to his chin. "There is a feud between the alliance of Cassie, Valerie, Marvin, and Phoebe against the alliance of Desmond, Felix, and Arnold."

"How do you know this?" Nataline blinked in surprise.

"My own research." Nicholas gave a small smile and raked his silver hair. "Do we adjust our plans to fit their terms?"

"If we do, then we must make sure it benefits us." Nataline said. "Which side should we align with?"

"Both options have their pros and cons." Nicholas said softly. Before he could say anything else, Tatiana entered the room.

"Sorry I'm late." Tatiana said with a sad face.

"What's wrong? You look down." Nataline noticed as the gamer girl sat beside her.

"It's nothing, really." Tatiana lied. "So who are we voting for?" She took off her hat to let her hair flow free.

"We are still deciding on it." Nataline said as she glanced at Nicholas, who was still thinking. "It's a tough choice."

"Hey guys!" Felix grinned as he entered the room as well. "I got something to tell you guys."

"Yes?" Nicholas regarded him.

"I overheard Cassie and her alliance plotting to vote you out." Felix pointed at Nicholas. "Saying something about you being a challenge threat and all that."

"My, that's not good." Nataline looked at her friend.

"They're threatening one of my party members?" Tatiana stood up. "We should do something about this!"

"Let's not be too hasty." Nicholas glanced at all of them. "We should keep in mind that Felix here is a member of Desmond's alliance. He could be here to plant the seeds of doubt in our minds."

"W-What?" Felix scoffed lightly as if to deny it. "No I'm not." He turned to the two girls. "Come on, you believe me right? We got this bond of the Red Sith after all."

"Bond of the Red Sith?" Tatiana tilted her head. "But last I remember, even back then you were part of Desmond's party, not mine."

"But that can still change." Felix pouted. "Desmond didn't protect me last time like he promised. He only cares about himself."

"So you want to change sides?" Tatiana asked hopefully.

"Yeah! The Red Sith has to stick together, right?" Felix beamed, oblivious to Nicholas narrowing his eyes at him.

"I suppose you do have a point." Nataline admitted. "Anyway, we'll decide our vote ourselves."

"Yes, do we thank you for the input." Nicholas told the prankster. Felix nodded and turned to leave.

"Trust me, you're gonna want to watch out for the two alliances." Felix said before leaving.

"Please tell me you are not buying that bland lie." Nicholas looked at his friends.

"It just doesn't make sense." The lady said.

"Of course it doesn't! Who would dare be bold enough to attack one of my party members?" Tatiana had a look of conviction on her face and wore her hat again.

"Someone's protective." Nataline giggled.

"Of course! Time is running short. Onward to the foyer!" Tatiana exclaimed and charged forth, only to trip over herself and fall face first. "Ow." She got up and ran out again.

 **~Confessional~**

 **Nicholas:** If this is Desmond's doing, then it will not work on my and my partners. We are far too rational to be driven by mere doubt and lies.

 **Tatiana:** I'm gonna show them that my party is not to be messed with! Let's get on with the ceremony already. *she jumps up and down excitedly*

 **~End Confessional~**

Marvin saw Cyrus hanging around the garden, looking at each of the flowers.

"Cyrus, we should talk." Marvin said to the emo boy.

"What is it? Make it quick." Cyrus looked at him.

"Lucy couldn't find you and it's almost time for the elimination ceremony." Marvin stated. "I'm just going to tell you the vote."

"Well go ahead then. I'm still not done here." Cyrus sighed as he glanced at the flowers. "So much for the inspiration I can get from here."

"She said we're voting for Nicholas." Marvin said. "He's a challenge threat and has a keen mind. She doesn't want him around any longer than necessary."

"That's true." Cyrus shrugged. "And he might win immunity if he stays any longer. Alright, that's my vote." He said nonchalantly and went back to observing the flowers.

"Glad you're on board." Marvin said and turned on his heel.

"Hey." Cyrus called out to him before he could leave. "Thanks for tolerating me all this time."

"What do you mean?" Marvin asked.

"You know, since I hate Phoebe and you two being in a relationship and all." Cyrus pointed out. "You're still being civil about it so thanks I guess."

"Just don't give her too much trouble." Marvin said and walked away.

"Noted." Cyrus watched him leave and then sighed before looking at the flowers again.

 **~Confessional~**

 **Cyrus:** It's kinda peaceful in the garden so I kinda got emotional there, but I won't rest until Phoebe has been eliminated. I just gotta bend to Lucy's will for now but I'll make the big plays soon. Just you wait.

 **Marvin:** I really wonder if Cyrus is a bad person. Sometimes we antagonize those who are really assertive about their beliefs and values, especially when it goes against the norm. Is Cyrus wrong? Am I wrong? All I know is that I'm playing the game as it's supposed to be played, so I wonder...

 **~End Confessional~**

* * *

 **(Elimination Ceremony)**

Chris stood in the foyer, with the contestants all seated in the couches representing their old teams. Beside the host was a tray of space food containers.

"Welcome, final fourteen!" Chris exclaimed. "Although by the end of tonight, one of you will leave this place and never return."

"Ready when you are.~" Valerie chimed in with a wink.

"Say the votes already!" Tatiana added, clearly hyped.

"It's as if you guys are more excited than I am." Chris shook his head. "Anyway, you know the drill by now. You don't get a container, you're out of here." He tossed one to Phoebe. "Of course, the one immune gets the first." The doll faced girl shrieked a bit but sloppily caught her space food container.

"Terrance."

"Lucy."

"Arnold."

"Felix."

"Jude."

"Marvin."

"Valerie."

"Tatiana."

"Cyrus." The people mentioned all caught their respective space food containers.

"Now, the four of you all received votes." Chris glanced at Nicholas, Desmond, Cassie, and Nataline.

"Why am I not surprised?" Cassie glared at Desmond, who returned the gesture.

"It's getting rather old already." Nataline stuck out her nose at Terrance, who stayed quiet and adjusted his glasses.

"In fact, to make things more interesting, I'll say how many votes you guys got." Chris smirked. "With only one vote against him, Nicholas is safe." He tossed a space food container at the detective, who caught it with practiced ease.

"Thank you, Chris." Nicholas gave a small bow.

"With only two votes against her, Nataline is safe as well." The lady caught her space food container and gave a victorious grin at Terrance, who looked on with a slightly shocked face.

"Well, can't say I'm surprised." The techie boy sighed.

Both Desmond and Cassie stared each other down.

"Ya think ya can stay in this game?" The ranch girl taunted.

"Longer than you at least." Desmond smirked.

"The final container goes to..." Chris paused for dramatic effect.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

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.

"...Cassie!" The host announced and tossed it at the ranch girl, who took it with pride and rubbed it in. "With five votes against her." He added.

"Five!?" Desmond repeated as he stood up and was in a state of pure shock. "That means I got six votes! Who was it!?" He glared at everyone else. "Don't you see? She's leading a strong alliance! She's going to dominate this game!"

"You talk too much." Valerie giggled. "Save it for the bed, mister."

"This isn't right, dude." Arnold shook his head and clasped Desmond's shoulder, but the latter shrugged it away.

"Don't even try to make me feel better." Desmond seethed.

"Hey man, it's just a game." Felix tried to calm him down.

"Shut up! This isn't how this night was supposed to go." Desmond insisted. "What about you guys, huh? Without me, you won't have any allies to carry you far! Without me-" He then noticed Marvin sitting there and comforting a cowering Phoebe who was getting terrified of Desmond's reaction. "This guy! He's a double agent!"

"What?" Cassie raised her eyebrow.

"He's loyal to no alliance. He's only out for himself and Phoebe!" Desmond pointed a finger at Marvin.

"Uh, Chris? Isn't it time for him to go?" Marvin glanced towards the host without answering back to Desmond.

"Indeed it is." Chris chuckled. "Save the drama for the aftermath, Desmond. Because now you leave this game at 14th place!" He said as the chandelier above them glowed white brightly.

"Whoa." Nataline said in awe as she looked up.

"You'll all regret keeping her here, I swear it!" Desmond said in anger. He was about to say something else when a beam of light coming from the chandelier hit him where he stood and his avatar left the virtual world.

"And that's it for tonight." Chris announced. "Nataline and Phoebe, you two are sleeping here. The rest of you can go back to the conservatory now." He said as he motioned for them to leave the mansion.

As everyone except for Nataline and Phoebe stood up to leave through the front door, Felix approached Arnold.

"Guess it's just us now." The prankster whispered.

"Yeah. Guess so." The soccer player replied with a short sigh.

 **~Votes~**

 **Desmond:** Cassie, your stay was long overdue. Jane may have taken the fall for you last round, but this time I'll get you out for sure.

 **Cassie:** Usually I'd be pushing for Cyrus to go, but it's time to play more strategical now that Jane's gone. And I can tell ya that Desmond is out there and dangerous as heck. Might as well cut him off.

 **Phoebe:** M-My vote goes to D-Desmond. It's n-nothing personal really. J-Just an alliance thing. S-S-Sorry. Oh and y-you were mean t-to my friends too.

 **Cyrus:** If Lucy says I should vote for Nicholas, then Nicholas it is. I figured that he should go home anyway since he's strong and smart and all that. Whatever I guess.

 **Valerie:** Bye-Bye Desmond! This is for working with Shane to get me out during the pre-merge! But maybe I'll forgive you if you visit my room in the resort when all this is over. *she winks*

 **Marvin:** I can't have any doubts now. Like I said, I'm doing this for me and Phoebe. It's time...for Cassie to go.

 **Nataline:** Nicholas said we should vote for Desmond tonight and try to get on good terms with Cassie and her alliance tomorrow. I can agree with that plan. Plus I'm not afraid of Terrance's schemes anymore. *she looks slightly nervous*

 **Terrance:** I'm voting for Nataline. Granted, I didn't talk to anyone else about the vote since I spent the last few minutes trying to understand what Tatiana was telling me, but I'm sure people will feel the same way and vote for her too.

 **Jude:** I'm gonna use this freedom of vote to take out Desmond like Cassie and Valerie wanted! It's not like I'll ditch my Lucy for their alliance. It's just for tonight after all.

 **Arnold:** The underdogs team has been made, and now it's time to get rid of the ranch girl! I can hear the whistle blowing and the referee giving her the red card already.

 **Lucy:** I'm gonna waste my vote and vote for Nataline. At least then I'll still be keeping my promise to Terrance that I'll help him out. *she laughs as her red eye glowed*

 **Felix:** So Desmond wants Cassie gone, huh? Well I got nothing special going on with her so it's no big deal. Nothing personal, alright?

 **Tatiana:** No one messes with my party! I'll show them by voting off the alliance's head captain, Cassie! This is so gonna send a message to all.

 **Nicholas:** I have weighed my options and have decided to vote for Desmond in favor of Cassie and her alliance. This is simply because Desmond's alliance seems to have been made on the spot. With that logic, it means that they are not refined and patterned. It makes them unpredictable, and therefore dangerous to work with. Cassie's alliance, on the other hand, have been strong since the pre-merge. I will be able to predict them and stay one step ahead. It is a risky move, but I learned that risks in this game yield great rewards.

 **~Eliminated~**

 **(24th place) Richard - The Maestro**

 **(23rd place) Delilah - The Serpent**

 **(22nd place)** **Harvey - The Chill Guy**

 **(21st place)** **Betty - The Phone Addict**

 **(20th place)** **Wesley - The Blue Blood**

 **(19th place)** **Shane - The Lone Wolf**

 **(18th place)** **Ivy - The Distant Cloud**

 **(17th place)** **Sarah - The Rocker Girl**

 **(16th place)** **Nelly - The Arrogant Nerd**

 **(15th place) Jane - The Survival Expert**

 **(14th place) Desmond - The Jack of all Trades**

* * *

Chris stood at the entrance of the sci-fi mansion with his arms spread out in a dramatic fashion while he faces the camera with his signature smile. "That concludes the second merge challenge of the season. Guess it goes to show you can never recover from the serpent's venom. With Desmond gone, will his merry band of underdogs find a way to get back on their feet? Is Marvin's cover blown? Will Nicholas' decision pay off in the end? Can Tatiana still win Terrance over and make him realize Lucy's evil ways will only be harmful to him? Find out next time on Total...Drama...Sci-Fi Showdown!" He exclaimed as the camera panned out then turned off.

* * *

 **And there goes Desmond. Did anyone ever like that guy? Anyways, Desmond was always this filler character that made it far for the sake of making it far. His entire plot revolves around him doing his best to stir up drama and succeed to an extent, but never truly got what he envisioned. He is meant to start things, not finish it. This is the chapter where his role of planting the seeds of chaos comes to an end. Whether you liked his balanced talents, or hated him for his slightly antagonistic nature, that's your peace you need to hold. See you all next time! :) XBloodLegendX**


	19. Chapter 18: Deep Into The Core

**"What would an ocean be without a monster lurking in the dark? It would be like sleep without dreams." ― Werner Herzog**

* * *

"Last time on Total Drama Sci-Fi Showdown," Chris started as the camera panned in on him. "The contestants all went to the sci-fi mansion for the first time, taking in its luxurious feel and sci-fi designed interior. Too bad they couldn't enjoy it for long, not while they were hiding from Delilah that is." He chuckled.

The large hologram showed the portrait of Delilah in her green, serpent-like aura. "It was a game of hide and seek, and tag. One touch and a virus gets to you to eliminate you from the challenge. Good thing the mansion was large enough to give them many hiding spots. But only one can win the challenge, so they each carefully planned where they hid. Or at least, most did." It showed scenes where Desmond was hiding in the attic, Nicholas hiding between the shelves in the basement, Jude staying underwater in the pool, then Tatiana and Felix building a pillow fort in the arcade room.

The hologram then showed Phoebe and Cassie facing off against Delilah in the garden. "It was down to either Cassie or Phoebe, both girls in the same alliance but with different methods on how to win the game. The ranch girl sacrificed herself so that Phoebe may receive the immunity, which worked just as she wanted."

The hologram showed the scene where they were holding the elimination ceremony in the foyer. "Unlike the first merge elimination, the votes weren't too split up. The alliance of Cassie versus the alliance of Desmond, with everyone else either joining the crossfire or avoiding it. By the end of the day, it was Desmond that bit the bullet. Can Marvin put the target on someone else now that Desmond tried to blow his cover at his final moments? Can Terrance find a way to eliminate Nataline? Will Cassie continue to shield Phoebe, despite knowing her chances are getting slimmer and slimmer? Find out now on Total...Drama...Sci-Fi Showdown!" Chris exclaimed as the theme song played afterwards.

* * *

 **(Sci-Fi Mansion)**

Phoebe woke up in her room in the sci-fi mansion. She slowly sat up and rubbed her eyes before looking around. Her room had a dollhouse design of the colors red and yellow. There is a high stand attached to the wall with a couple of porcelain dolls on display, and there are two porcelain dolls atop Phoebe's nightstand, one holding a violin and the other holding a lance. There is a large dollhouse in the corner of the room, opened in the middle to show more dolls scattered inside at different rooms. Phoebe stood up to go pick out her clothes in the wardrobe then went outside when she was finished.

"Is N-Nataline awake?" She wondered to herself. She left her room and looked around the hallway but found that Nataline wasn't roaming around. "M-Maybe she's still taking a b-bath." Phoebe concluded.

The doll faced girl then looked behind her to see the reward door for the Silver Terminators, the neon lights still on. She tentatively went towards it and touched the cold steel of the door.

"M-Maybe I should e-explore a little. I'm t-trying to be brave, r-right?" She stuttered and gulped. "I c-can also go here since it's my t-team's reward door." She reasoned with herself and opened the door. The room itself is a bit spacious as it had no furniture save for a single pedestal in the center. The room is by small yet numerous lights that gave a faint silver light. A large lightbulb shining a silver light shone directly above the pedestal, as if giving emphasis to it. Phoebe looked down and saw the path had lights merged with the floor. It spelled out the words "Asset Room" in the silver color and a digital looking font.

"Is t-this it?" Phoebe went closer to the pedestal to inspect it a bit more. It has a square hatch and a red button. After a while of internal debate, she gently pressed down the red button before covering herself, expecting it to explode on her face. A soft shirring sound can be heard and the hatch opened. "W-What's happening?"

A small stand emerged from inside, and it contained an asset atop it. It's a small metallic cube that is designed with neon green marks and lines. Phoebe's hand shook as she carefully picked up the object with an anxious look.

"P-Please don't explode." Phoebe said meekly to the cube. After seeing that it didn't blow up in her face, she calmed down a bit and inspected it curiously. "B-But what is it?" She tried to feel around the cube but nothing happened. With a mix of an anxious and curious look, she left the room.

 **~Confessional~**

 **Phoebe:** I t-took it to m-my room but I still don't k-know what the cube is for. It's s-supposed to be an a-asset room right? B-But they didn't say w-what it's used for.

 **~End Confessional~**

Meanwhile, Nataline had entered the reward room for the Cyan Protoss. She made her way to the center and soon Marietta's voice can be heard in and echo all around the room.

"Greetings, heir of the Louise family." The AI said.

"You know, I still don't get why I only got one question yesterday when Cyrus got three the first time he was here." Nataline shook her head as she stood on the pedestal.

"Chris re-programmed me concerning that. My apologies but there was nothing I could do." Marietta answered.

"Fine. I guess one question is enough." Nataline sighed.

"Then what will it be, Lady Nataline?" Marietta asked her.

"Is there anything I should know when it comes to winning the next challenge?" Nataline asked.

"I hope you can fight underwater." Marietta answered, her monotonous tone sounding a bit more amused.

"Seriously?" Nataline widened her eyes at the revelation.

"I bid you good luck on your challenge." Marietta said before her presence couldn't be felt anymore in the room.

 **~Confessional~**

 **Nataline:** So it's a kind of swimming challenge that involves fighting? I'm glad I get to wear my swimsuit but I wonder if it's safe to fight while wearing one.

 **~End Confessional~**

Both girls ate their breakfast at the dining room, where they are being served by the robot chefs that Lucy found in the kitchen yesterday. They sat across from each other and both smiled when the robots served them their food, with the doll faced girl looking a bit anxious at first. Phoebe ordered french toast with syrup and pineapple juice. Nataline got her egg and potato sandwich, chocolate cake, and earl gray tea.

"Y-You eat cake for b-breakfast?" Phoebe meekly asked.

"Yeah. It tastes good." Nataline smiled in a friendly manner as she cut her sandwich and took a piece with her fork. "I know not many people do that. Does it bother you?"

"N-No. Not at a-all!" Phoebe quickly said and shook her head.

"There's really no need to be anxious around me." Nataline assured her. "I won't bite."

"B-But you look c-completely different when t-there's a challenge." Phoebe pouted.

"Well that's because I'm competitive about it. This is Total Drama, right? You can't let your guard down." Nataline said.

"R-Right." Phoebe poured syrup on her french toast and then took a bite. "I wish I w-was as competitive as y-you."

"You don't have to be me in order to win." Nataline said to the doll faced girl. "You just have to play the game."

"B-But I'm not strong or s-smart." Phoebe said sadly as she picked at her food. "I don't k-know how long I'll l-last."

"I'm sure you'll do fine." Nataline said with a smile. "Here, why not join me and Nicholas?"

"I'm already i-in an alliance." Phoebe told her. "I d-don't want Cassie to t-think I betrayed them."

"So you're with her huh? Makes sense as to why you always spend time with her." Nataline nodded in understanding. "It's fine. But when you need my help, then don't be afraid to ask, alright?"

"A-Alright." Phoebe beamed a bit.

 **~Confessional~**

 **Nataline:** Phoebe is such an adorable girl. Sometimes I wonder if the game is too much for her. I will try to help her out as much as I can, but hopefully I won't have to oppose her too much.

 **~End Confessional~**

* * *

 **(Conservatory)**

Almost everyone had left the conservatory early to explore, leaving Cassie, Valerie, and Marvin alone inside.

"Y'all did a great job in the votes last night." Cassie praised.

"Because if we didn't, you would have gone home." Valerie pointed out with a slight pout.

"Speaking of the votes, why weren't ya at the alliance meeting?" The ranch girl looked directly at Marvin. The boy just looked down and seemed to be deep in thought.

"I wanted to see how everyone else was voting." He answered.

"But you didn't come to see how we were voting." Valerie frowned and inched closer to Marvin, showing him more her sad face. Marvin leaned back a bit and sighed.

"You're right. Sorry about that. The merge got me kinda stressed out." Marvin explained.

"So who did ya vote for?" Cassie asked, crossing her arms and looking intently at Marvin. "Desmond said something very interesting before he left, don'tcha think?"

"He's trying to sabotage this alliance." Marvin lied. "I've always been loyal to you guys."

"Then who were the two votes against Cassie?" Valerie asked.

"I'm not sure." Marvin shook his head. "But you have to believe me. I would never betray the alliance."

"But I'm still curious to who has it out for me." Cassie pondered.

"Well I still see Terrance trying to get rid of Nataline." Marvin looked up while thinking. "Cyrus might have voted for you or Desmond. I don't know what Lucy's up to or Jude for that matter. Maybe it's Nicholas or Nataline or Tatiana who see you as a threat and voted against you."

"Ya got a point there." Cassie said. "Those three do have good qualities when it comes to physical challenges."

"So at least two of them targeted you to get far?" Valerie tilted her head. "I can sorta understand that. But then we gotta take action, right?" She winked.

"I'll see what I can do, y'all." Cassie promised. "But first I gotta find Jude and Lucy."

"Good luck." Marvin as the ranch girl stood up. "I'll go see what Cyrus is up to."

"It's sad being his friend, huh?" Valerie giggled.

"We're more like acquaintances." Marvin quickly said.

This made Valerie giggle more. "Sure he is."

 **~Confessional~**

 **Marvin:** I may have dodged the suspicions for now, but it will become clear once the cast thins out. I have to do something about this, but what I said earlier wasn't a complete lie. I do not know what Lucy's intentions are, and Cyrus isn't to be trusted. I'm really not so good at this strategy thing, but if it's for Phoebe and I, then I'll do it.

 **Valerie:** It's kinda cute how Cyrus and Marvin differ in interests but still manage to be civil. Well I'm sure he's loyal enough to drop him once the numbers get low. But really, I didn't doubt him.

 **~End Confessional~**

Felix and Arnold met up in the ruins of the church once again.

"Now it's just us." Arnold sighed. "This team is losing stability."

"And where's Marvin?" Felix asked as he looked around. "Shouldn't he be here with us?"

"I saw him stay behind with Cassie and Valerie." Arnold clenched his fist. "Maybe last night, he voted for Desmond!"

"You really think so?" Felix asked. "I thought he didn't want her to take control of the game. How can he betray the band like this?"

"Because in the end, he's still loyal to his original team." Arnold concluded. "That's why Desmond said he's a double agent. He probably figured out Marvin betrayed us and tried to warn us."

"So we shouldn't talk strategy to him anymore?" Felix sat down on a pile of rubble. "That's gotta suck."

"For him." Arnold closed his eyes as he looked down. "We'll avenge Desmond, don't worry." He said solemnly.

"Hello, boys." A voice called out from behind them. "Why the long faces?" They turned around to see Lucy walking towards them.

"Lucy?" Arnold narrowed his eyes at the red eyed girl. "What do you want?"

"I want to talk strategy." Lucy said, grinning.

"And why should we be interested?" Arnold raised his voice a bit.

"Actually I'm pretty interested." Felix shrugged. Arnold gave him a look and the prankster cleared his throat and kept quiet.

"You'll find that my proposal might just save your little...band." Lucy chuckled with a hint of a sinister vibe. "You did lose your lead singer after all."

"Just say it already. We weren't done talking." Arnold said impatiently.

"You will vote for whoever I tell you to." Lucy said simply but her red eye glowed as she said it.

"Whoever you want?" Felix repeated. "Even if you tell us to vote for each other."

"Oh, I would never ask that so suddenly." Lucy assured him. "Just get rid of those that are not part of this group I have. People like Cassie and her majority alliance." The red eyed girl walked around the ruins of the church leisurely. "People like Nicholas and Nataline." She added.

"Seems good enough." Felix shrugged. "Right, Arnold?"

The soccer player sighed. "We don't have much of a choice. If we don't do it, then Cassie's alliance will surely vote us all off."

"Then we have a deal?" Lucy giggled. She went over to Arnold and extended her hand for a shake.

"Deal." Arnold shook her hand and Lucy's red eye glowed a bit.

 **~Confessional~**

 **Arnold:** We're in a bad situation in this second half, I'll admit. Even ace strikers get desperate sometimes. I need to defeat the bigger alliance, even if it means joining up with the same Blue Ardonian member that went against me.

 **Felix:** I don't see why Arnold was being cautious of Lucy. Aside from her obvious red eye, she looks friendly enough. Is there something I'm missing here?

 **~End Confessional~**

Tatiana found her mecha chocobo in an abandoned car repair shop in the post-apocalyptic city. She sat beside it and it squawked at her then nuzzled its head against her affectionately.

"Sorry girl. Looks like Terrance won't be fixing you today." Tatiana said sadly to her mount as she pet its head. It squawked and relaxed in her touch. She then looked outside and saw Terrance scavenging for something in the wreckage of cars. "But what is he doing, though?"

Terrance used his psionic blade to cut off a car's manual transmission parts. He collected it all and carried it with him as he made his way down the broken road.

"What exactly are you working on?" The techie boy got startled a bit when he saw Nicholas leaning against the unlighted lamp post.

"It's none of your business." Terrance grunted and walked past the detective.

"I can only deduce that it is another machine." Nicholas said as he followed Terrance with his gaze. "Much like Tatiana's mecha chocobo, perhaps?"

"Even that was still of my design." Terrance adjusted his glasses as he turned to face the other boy.

"Then where is it?" Nicholas asked evenly. Terrance widened his eyes.

"I...don't actually know." He finally said. "I think Tatiana still has it. But it's broken as far as I remember."

"So you decide to invest in another thing? I have yet to see that blade of yours become useful in a challenge." Nicholas remarked.

"Shut up. I used it to fight Nataline in the lightsaber challenge." Terrance said with confidence as he ignited his psionic blade to show him.

"And did it make you win the duel?" Nicholas asked with a side smirk.

"No." Terrance grumbled. "But it'll win me a challenge someday. Maybe in this next one."

"Then why create another machine? You are contradicting yourself." Nicholas said to the techie boy.

"No I'm not!" Terrance insisted, his face getting a bit agitated. "This one will compliment my psionic blade! It'll be a better asset than even that damn mecha chocobo!" He heard someone gasp. Turning to his side, he saw Tatiana there, her shocked face clearly visible.

"Did you...did you mean that?" The gamer girl choked out. "I thought you said you'd help me repair it..." She looked down.

"Tatiana?" Terrance looked surprised to see her there. "Look, it's not what you-"

"It's alright, really." Tatiana looked up and gave a forced smile. "I'll just repair it myself. Go ahead and make your new machine. I hope it goes well for you." She said before walking back to the garage where her mecha chocobo was.

"Wait!" Terrance called out and was about to follow her when the roll up door suddenly closed down.

"I bid you luck as well." Nicholas said as he began to walk away. "However, I'll be doing my best to overcome it." He added.

"Tsk." Terrance took one last look at the garage and remembered its location before walking down the road again.

 **~Confessional~**

 **Nicholas:** By the looks of it, Terrance is a dangerous individual. He creates his own assets from what he can salvage in this post-apocalyptic world instead of waiting for Chris to hand them out. It's one thing to be an arms dealer, and another to be the manufacturer.

 **Terrance:** Okay I was pissed off and said some wrong things. I'll go apologize to Tatiana about that later when I got the time. Right now, I need to finish the blueprints of my new asset. I hope I can win this challenge to I can speed it up by working in the mansion's mechanic room. It's got everything I need to make this the highest quality.

 **Tatiana:** *she wipes away a tear* I can't believe he said that! We worked on it together and now he's just gonna abandon it!? Has he forgotten how many challenges we've won because of it? How useful it was? I don't see his psionic blade thingy winning him anything. *she crosses her arms* Guess I'll go try and repair it myself then. Good thing the garage has tools.

 **~End Confessional~**

Marvin saw Cyrus looking at craters of various sizes at a wasteland. The emo boy seemed to be observing it intently.

"Is this for inspiration?" Marvin asked him as he approached.

"Yeah. So?" Cyrus looked over his shoulder but didn't fully face him.

"Nothing really, just small talk." Marvin said. "Sorry about the vote last night."

"You actually brought that up." Cyrus scoffed. "So what was that all about? I was literally the only vote against Nicholas!"

"Maybe Lucy changed her mind at the last minute." Marvin suggested.

"She doesn't look like the type to just change her vote." Cyrus narrowed his eyes at him. "Don't play dumb."

"I'm not. Go ask her yourself how she voted." Marvin lied.

"Maybe later tonight." Cyrus grunted. "So what is it you want? Don't tell me she has a new target in mind. Because I don't want to hear it from you anymore."

"I don't wanna talk about tonight's vote, because we don't know who will be immune tonight." Marvin explained. "I'm just gonna ask you who you hate the most here that you want voted out."

"Pretty sure you know the answer to that." Cyrus fully faced him now.

"I have a guess." Marvin placed a hand on his chin in thought. "It's Phoebe, right?"

"Yeah." Cyrus affirmed. "Stop asking just to confirm it yourself."

"Who else do you hate here?" Marvin asked again. "Other than Phoebe."

"I hate Nataline too." Cyrus growled a bit as he looked out at the craters again. "She gave me a hard time in the Cyan Protoss. I definitely want her gone."

"I can help you with that at least." Marvin offered.

"And where will you find the votes for that? Not even Terrance could do it." Cyrus gave an amused scoff. "What can you do?"

"I'm sure some people will see her as a threat and unfair competition." Marvin thought aloud. "All we have to do is nudge people in that direction, instead of their initial targets." He emphasized the last part as he gazed at Cyrus.

"Are you telling me this so I have something better to do than vote off Phoebe?" Cyrus rolled his eyes. "Because even if I follow it and she goes home, the doll faced girl is next!" He said with conviction.

"Then that's when we'll oppose each other. But the cast is too big for that right now." Marvin explained. He held out his hand. "So what do you say? Truce?" Cyrus seemed reluctant but shook his hand.

"Truce." The emo boy said.

 **~Confessional~**

 **Cyrus:** Marvin obviously has some ulterior motive, but I don't care so much. Like I said before, my chances to win or to make it very far into this game are slim because of the enemies I've made here. I'm enjoying the scenery for inspiration, but I'd enjoy it more if Phoebe is finally eliminated. But I guess I can switch my efforts to take out Nataline for now.

 **~End Confessional~**

Cassie saw Lucy meeting up with Jude in the park just like yesterday. The ranch girl adjusted her hat a bit before going over there to talk to them.

"Howdy, y'all." Cassie greeted with a smile.

"Howdy." Jude grinned as he saw her. "Great vote last night, huh."

"Sure was." Cassie nodded.

"I remember us having a deal about it." Lucy smiled. "You said you'd help with our next vote if we did what you wanted last night."

"Ya got it." Cassie nodded as she tipped her hat forward. "Who did y'all have in mind?"

"Nicholas." Lucy answered.

"About time." Jude sighed in relief.

"The silver haired boy?" Cassie looked up in thought. "Why not? Ya got our support on that one."

"With six votes, we have a strong lead." Jude grinned.

"But it won't be enough unless we can divide the votes of the others." Lucy reminded him. "That, and make sure Nicholas does not win immunity."

"I can help make that happen. Y'all can know that we're on your side here." Cassie assured them as she turned to leave.

"Thanks." Lucy called out as the ranch girl left. After she was out of earshot, she chuckled in a sinister tone.

"Is that your laugh?" Jude blinked. Lucy nodded and innocently smiled at him. "It's cute!" He added.

 **~Confessional~**

 **Cassie:** Things are looking up for us once again. We may started out wrong when merge hit, but we'll be back up and running in no time!

 **Lucy:** Everything is just as it should be. With Cassie's alliance, I can eliminate Nicholas and make them take the fall for it. That way, people will turn their attention to them and I can use Arnold and Felix to help finish them off. Yes, all according to plan.

 **Jude:** I don't exactly know what Lucy's whole strategy is, but I'm glad to help out either way. With my vote, we're basically the majority! Nicholas better watch his back, because this is payback for making Lucy cry back then.

 **~End Confessional~**

The contestants all met with Chris outside of the conservatory, minus Phoebe and Nataline.

"So what's this one gonna be?" Jude asked as he cracked his neck and grinned.

"Please say it's not another physical challenge." Cyrus sighed.

"Perhaps a mentally challenging one would be a nice change of pace." Nicholas remarked.

"Quiet down so I can actually explain what the challenge is!" Chris ordered. This made everyone quiet and the host grinned. "Good. Now before we start the challenge, you all must change into your swimsuits."

"Our swimsuits?" Felix tilted his head.

"Our swimsuits!?" Valerie beamed. "Yes!"

"Ya seem happy about this." Cassie remarked.

"I get to wear a swimsuit and see the hot guys wear one too! Isn't it awesome?" Valerie giggled. She then noticed everyone staring at her. "Oh wait, I just said that out loud, huh?"

"Well enough excitement for now and just get dressed." Chris snapped his fingers and blue sparks ignited beside them, forming into shapes and forms until it fully became a set of changing rooms. "I'll give you time for it, since I have to see if the past challenge winners are done changing too."

"Why do I get the feeling that our swimsuits are just gonna be a bother to us?" Cyrus sighed as he went to get his swim clothes.

"Maybe to you, because you're not hot!" Valerie called out as she skipped to get her stuff, with Cassie smirking behind her.

"Ya really are too excited 'bout this." The ranch girl said.

"Yes! I get to try out my new swimsuit!" Tatiana exclaimed as she ran ahead of the two girls to get her stuff and immediately claim a changing room.

 **~Confessional~**

 **Tatiana:** *she is wearing a yellow bikini with a small skirt that had chocobo prints everywhere* I always wanted to wear this ever since we started out this season. If I got eliminated early, I would have worn it at the resort but I don't mind wearing it for a challenge.

 **Felix:** *he is wearing a blue swimming trunks that had the symbol of a brain fart on the back* I wonder what we'll be doing. I mean, I think anyone can guess that we're going swimming, but I wanna know what we're actually doing so that maybe I can prepare a prank. It's been too long, after all.

 **Arnold:** *he is wearing a green swimming shorts with a star symbol on the bottom right* I wonder if you can play soccer underwater. If we can, maybe I can be the ace striker in that aspect too.

 **~End Confessional~**

After some time has passed, everyone has changed into their swim wear.

"Nicholas is so ripped!" Valerie gushed as the detective went out of the changing room in his silver and black swimming shorts. The flirt is wearing a lacy scarlet bikini with heart designs.

"Stop saying that out loud." Cassie scolded as she exited her changing stall. Valerie turned towards her and her mouth was agape. The ranch girl is wearing a pink lacy bikini that really showed off her features.

"What the-" The flirt was in shock. "I didn't expect you'd wear something like that!"

"Yeah, gotta admit that." Felix chimed in with a red face.

"Hmph." Terrance looked away and adjusted his glasses with a slight blush on his face. The techie boy is wearing a simple black swimming trunks.

"Lucina picked it out for me, y'all!" Cassie exclaimed in embarrassment as she tried to cover herself with her arms, with little to no success.

"Well it's hot!" Valerie beamed. "I just got taken aback that's all." She giggled.

"You look cute in that, Lucy." Jude complimented his girlfriend as he saw her leave the changing room. Lucy just smiled at his compliment. She is wearing a one piece dark blue swimsuit while Jude is wearing a white rash guard with gray stripes on the sides, and gray swimming shorts.

"Thanks darling." Lucy giggled sweetly. She then looked away and her red eye glowed a bit. "Whatever." She muttered under her breath.

"I wonder what the challenge will be." Marvin thought aloud as he fixed his cyan colored swimming trunks.

"Hopefully it's as simple as beach volleyball, but that's not sci-fi nor is it Chris' style." Cyrus rolled his eyes. He is wearing black swimming shorts with skull prints.

"It better be another physical challenge." Arnold grinned. "That way, you won't get any chance at winning." The soccer player smirked at the emo boy.

"Now I wish it was beach volleyball so I can spike the ball at your smug face." Cyrus groaned.

"It's still a physical sport though." Arnold laughed and walked off to join Felix.

Just then, blue sparks appeared in front of the contestants and Chris' avatar formed, along with Nataline and Phoebe already in their swimsuits. Nataline wore a black bikini with white lace while Phoebe wore a one piece swimsuit that is color yellow and has a small skirt with light pink edges.

"Good morning everyone." Nataline greeted with a small smile.

"You look lovely, Nataline." Nicholas smiled as Nataline joined him.

"Thanks." Nataline said. "I've been wondering when I can wear this."

"Hey there!" Tatiana skipped towards them. "You got a fit body after all. It's hard to tell because of the clothes you usually wear." She remarked.

"That's true." Nataline said with a light laugh. "I hope this next challenge goes well for us."

"H-Hello." Phoebe said shyly.

"Awww~ Phoebe is so cute." Valerie gushed. "I wish I had my phone to take pictures right now." She giggled.

"Don't mind her, Phoebe." Cassie scratched the back of her head.

"Good! Everyone's ready." Chris exclaimed. He then snapped his fingers and a portal appeared beside him. "Now just enter this portal and I'll explain everything afterwards." He ordered. Everyone obeyed and entered the portal one by one.

 **~Confessional~**

 **Cassie:** *looks down at her bikini* Lucina also insisted I bring this for Total Drama. It's kinda embarrassing, y'know? But at least it makes me maneuver well so that works out.

 **Phoebe:** My s-sister and I u-used to take swimming class together. She w-was obviously the b-better swimmer and I c-can't swim well when I g-get really anxious a-about something. I h-hope this challenge i-isn't too taxing.

 **Cyrus:** Unlike Valerie, I don't get riled up or turned on in seeing people in their swim wear. Honestly, I don't see the reason why. They're just showing more skin than usual, big deal. In fact it makes getting injured way easier.

 **Lucy:** *her red eye glows* That Jude better focus on the challenge and not on me. I didn't wear this to become eye-candy for him, I wore this because Chris told us to. Purely for the challenge, and I know very well how men can get all worked up in seeing a girl in her swim suit so I have to personally make Jude focus.

 **~End Confessional~**

They ended up in a massive submarine, already submerged underwater. They glanced around and saw that they are in the ocean's depths and also saw unusual fishes swimming.

"This looks familiar." Terrance remarked as he stared out of the circular window.

"Where are we?" Marvin wondered out loud.

"Underwater, duh." Arnold snickered.

"Yes because Earth has these kinds of fishes." Cyrus rolled his eyes as he observed the life forms as well.

"Welcome to the planet Piscciss, an aquatic planet in God knows where." Chris shrugged. "Now your challenge is gonna be simple."

"Or is it?" Felix asked skeptically.

"Okay you got me. It's not." Chris laughed. "Anyways, for today's challenge, you have to get out there and steal the planet's core."

"I'm going to assume that the creatures that live here will be our obstacles?" Nicholas asked as he was still gazing out the window.

"That's right." Chris nodded. "This submarine has mini vessels you can use to get there faster, but if push comes to shove then you can always swim there." He chuckled.

"Sounds like fun, y'all." Cassie sighed.

"And here I thought it was just gonna be a beach challenge." Valerie pouted.

"Well too bad." Chris said. "Just go down the ladder and on the pods so we can begin."

The contestants all went down the ladder in the back and went to their respective pods and vessels.

 **~Confessional~**

 **Terrance:** These vessels look fast but not that durable. Good thing the controls were easy to understand.

 **Tatiana:** This is gonna be so cool! I always wanted an underwater adventure! Too bad I can't enjoy the depths will all these creatures coming after me but at least it's a start.

 **Jude:** I hope Lucy doesn't mind the aquatic life here. She did say that she likes sea creatures so it'll be sad to see them torment us in this challenge. Maybe there can be some way I can protect her.

 **~End Confessional~**

After everyone had settled in on their vessels, Chris pressed a button on the control panel and all of it launched off from the main submarine through chutes leading directly out into the water. Every vessel has a microphone and small speakers to let everyone know what the others are saying at all times. The vessel speed is fast enough to out speed the more basic aquatic life around them, as they all look harmless enough.

"Race you all there!" Tatiana exclaimed as her vessel moved forth, following the map and radar she has on the vessel's controls.

"Not so fast!" Arnold said as he caught up with her. Cassie and Valerie went together but were gaining on the soccer player's vessel.

"Don't think we're out of the challenge yet~" Valerie chimed in.

"I still don't get some of these figures and symbols on here, y'all." Cassie sighed.

"It is wise for us to move carefully, Nataline." Nicholas said as he and Nataline went together at a much more steady pace.

"You're right. We do not know what lies in the depths of this planet." Nataline said.

"I know your defeat is just around the corner though." Terrance smirked as he sped ahead of the two.

"Why did Arnold leave me!?" Felix exclaimed as he sped past the two as well.

"And nobody seemed to have listened." Nataline sighed. Lucy and Jude came up from behind them.

"That is because everyone wants to win." Lucy giggled. "You may think you are safe for now but elimination is just around the corner."

"You tell 'em Lucy!" Jude laughed. "Let's go on ahead." He said and they both sped away.

"Do you mind if we join you both?" Marvin asked as he and Phoebe went to join Nicholas and Nataline.

"Are you sure you don't want to go ahead like the others?" Nataline asked.

"We want to play it safe." Marvin answered.

"Y-Yes. It c-can get pretty s-scary down here." Phoebe said meekly.

"Don't worry, we'll protect you." Nataline said to the doll faced girl. "Right, Nicholas?"

"Our priority is to win. There is no need to protect anyone in this challenge." Nicholas said even.

"I u-understand. You r-really don't have to go the e-extra mile for m-me." Phoebe said quickly.

"I respect you, Phoebe." Nicholas said. "You came into the merge despite being physically weak and not so mentally strong. You must be doing something right if that is the case. May the better player win."

"R-Right." Phoebe said.

"The water pressure is rising." Marvin told them. "We're heading further down."

"Careful or the sea predators might get you." Cyrus snickered as his vessel came to join them.

"E-Eeeek! S-Sea p-p-predators!?" Phoebe repeated in a more anxious tone.

"Don't scare her." Nataline said sternly. "And just leave us alone!"

"It is also not good to travel in large numbers." Nicholas added.

"Sorry Cyrus." Marvin said to the emo boy.

"Whatever." Cyrus scoffed and went on ahead. Suddenly, their speakers picked up on a shriek.

"Aaaah!" Valerie shrieked again as her vessel was being pummeled by three purple and blue sea creatures that had strong jaws, harassing the vessel over and over again by slamming into it. The metal clang and received multiple dents and the vessel itself started going haywire with the movement.

"Hold on, I got ya!" Cassie exclaimed as she tried to maneuver her vessel to slam against one of the creatures. It made contact but only stunned it for a while. This enraged them and then focus their attention on the ranch girl.

"Cassie!" Valerie saw that her friend was being pummeled hard, and then saw more of them rushing in to join the fray. Some of the creatures had pointy noses and were firing projectiles at the vessel, further damaging and subsequently piercing through it. The flirt desperately searched her controls for any way to help Cassie and found the weapons controls. "Get away from her!" She opened fire and blaster shots fired out from the small guns the vessel were actually equipped with.

The sea creatures took damage and some even died, but the rest noticed the retaliation and went after Valerie again, leaving Cassie's broken up vessel to descend down the depths. Suddenly, the top part opened and Cassie swam out, her body covered in a light green aura that seemed out counter the water pressure and allowed her to breathe easy.

"That was scary, y'all." Cassie remarked and then saw Valerie's vessel plummet down. The ranch girl's eyes widened and started to swim away, but two of the projectile firing creatures saw her escape and fired on her, eliminating her from the challenge as her avatar flickered out.

 **~Confessional~**

 **Cyrus:** 'Not good to travel in large numbers', he said. He didn't have to beat around the bush. He can just say that we doesn't want me around and that's that. Well it's whatever since I'll just have to get to the core first. I'm pretty sure Phoebe will slow them down anyway.

 **Valerie:** Those things were pretty fast and scary. *she pouts* I just wish Chris had given us a photo or something of what they look like so I wouldn't have to be taken by surprise when one of them was basically kissing the windshield.

 **~End** **Confessional~**

Tatiana and Arnold were still racing towards the core of the planet. By this time, Terrance was already gaining on them and all three of them heard what happened to Cassie and Valerie through their speakers.

"Well that sounded scary." Tatiana gulped.

"Don't slow down now." Arnold laughed and went up beside her vessel.

"I won't!" Tatiana exclaimed as she sped on ahead.

"Uh, guys?" Terrance called their attention. "I think we got company now." He looked towards where the army of sea creatures started to surround them. Some of them opened fire already with a few hits making contact.

"Then let's retaliate at once!" Tatiana opened fire as well and blasted a few of the monsters that went too close to her vessel. Arnold did the same and took down some melee and some ranged ones.

"Damn it." Terrance cursed as his vessel shook and rocked from the hits he was taking. Tatiana saw this and immediately came to his aid.

"Don't worry, I got you." The gamer girl said and opened fire. Terrance helped as well and soon they fended off the first wave. The second wave came shortly after and gave chase, forcing them to speed up even more.

"I think I see the core!" Arnold exclaimed as he saw a small landmass in the distance.

"Hurry up, Terrance!" Tatiana called out. She saw the Terrance's vessel was already giving off sparks and the motors started to die out.

"I can't." The techie boy said. As he said that, a couple of projectiles connected with his vessel and it exploded before he could eject.

"Noooo!" Tatiana looked on in shock before turning back and chasing after Arnold.

 **~Confessional~**

 **Tatiana:** Was my help not enough? What if he ignores me even more because I wasn't useful? Well I don't see Lucy helping him so maybe he'll reconsider.

 **Arnold:** I didn't help out because I know that they'll get overwhelmed easily. If I can get to the core safely, then I basically win the challenge. Might as well let those creatures slow them down.

 **~End Confessional~**

Lucy and Jude were tailing Felix as he was speeding ahead to get to the core quickly. A swarm of sea creatures closed in on the prankster's vessel and started bashing into it repeatedly.

"Ah! Help me! Someone!" Felix called out.

"Sure." Lucy giggled over the microphone. She then faced Jude and made hand gestures saying that they should go around and avoid the scuffle. Jude nodded and they both went around to leave Felix to his doom.

"Wait, seriously!?" Felix saw them leave him behind. "Fine then, guess I'm on my own." He pressed the eject button and was immediately launched away from his vessel. He frantically swam away from the monsters but didn't get far before one of them crunched him with its jaws, forcing his avatar to flicker out.

"Well that's the end of his run." Jude looked back and saw Felix flicker out.

"It may be underhanded, but one of us should definitely secure invincibility." Lucy explained to him as they kept going. "We shouldn't feel sorry for them."

"Yeah. Got it." Jude looked sad for a bit but shook his head and followed Lucy.

Soon they saw Tatiana's vessel get blown up in the distance.

"Well that shortens our work." Lucy smirked.

"Hey, some of them are looking our way." Jude warned.

"Then let's pave a way for us." Lucy said.

They opened fire on the sea creatures that turned and started to attack them. They blasted most of them before they neared the landmass where Arnold had landed.

"Gahh!" Lucy's vessel rocked to the side as projectiles harassed the side of her vessel.

"Lucy!" Jude turned and fired on the creatures attacking his girlfriend, but they all swerved out of the way and continued to fire on the red eyed girl.

"Hurry and shoot them!" Lucy said irritably. "Aren't you supposed to be a marksman!?"

"Well yeah but guns from a submarine is different." Jude frowned.

"I don't care just-" Lucy couldn't finish her statement before her vessel exploded due to the accurate shots of the sea creatures.

"Damn." Jude opened fire with more aggression this time and managed to blast down a couple of them. The sea creatures started to disperse and retreat. "Get back here!" He was about to chase them down when he remembered what Lucy told him earlier. "No, I won't be able to win at this rate." With a heavy sigh, he decided to go back to where the landmass was.

 **~Confessional~**

 **Jude:** I hope Lucy doesn't get mad at me for that bad aim. I swear that the controls are hard to master in a short amount of time. I'm a known marksman for my bow skills anyway, not for firing blasters.

 **~End Confessional~**

Nicholas, Nataline, Marvin, and Phoebe all heard the commotion through the speakers in their vessels.

"Looks like the challenge has started for them." Nicholas noted.

"Does that mean we should proceed with caution?" Marvin asked as he went beside Phoebe to guard her.

"Is i-it scary monsters o-out there?" Phoebe asked anxiously.

"I'm sure we'll be fine with a group like this." Nataline assured her. "We just need to watch out for anything that might come after us."

"We have incoming." Nicholas said suddenly. The sea creatures came in from ahead of them, about to clash. The detective opened fire and the others followed suit except for Phoebe, who was too terrified to move the controls properly.

"Got one." Marvin said as he downed one of them. Another one bashed against his vessel and put him off course, but he regained control immediately to fire upon it. Meanwhile, Nicholas and Nataline easily maneuvered around while firing, preventing any of the sea creatures from getting too close. Phoebe kept trying to flee from the creatures, shrieking and not wanting to engage in combat.

"E-Eeeekk!" The doll faced girl's vessel got harassed even more and was soon in critical condition.

"Phoebe!" Nataline swooped in and fired on the creatures surrounding the other girl's vessel. She managed to make them disperse, but Phoebe's vessel started descending. "No!" She was about to descend to try and help but projectiles shot at her vessel. More creatures had come to stop their group.

"We won't be able to win this fight at this rate." Nicholas said calmly. "We need to go on ahead."

"But Phoebe is in danger!" Nataline exclaimed.

"I'll go get her." Marvin offered as he shot down a projectile-firing creature and sent his vessel downwards. More shots were shot his way but he took minimal damage from it and continued on.

"We should help them." Nataline said.

"There is no time." Nicholas reasoned as he blasted down two more creatures. "Let's entrust it to Marvin."

"Okay-" Nataline was cut off when her vessel was shot at and exploded as a result. Nicholas spun his vessel a bit to see what eliminated her and saw Cyrus with a victorious smirk on his face.

"Got you now." The emo boy said and opened fire on Nicholas next.

"I don't think so." Nicholas retaliated and fired on Cyrus as well. Much to Cyrus' dismay, the detective's shots are connecting more than his own. Soon, his vessel exploded but not before he ejected out.

"Tsk." Cyrus grunted and tried to swim away. Nicholas chose to ignore him and continued on the path towards the core.

Meanwhile, Marvin shot the last creature that was after Phoebe's vessel before catching sight of the vessel itself.

"Phoebe! Can you hear me?" Marvin said into the microphone.

"Y-Yeah. The c-cube is doing s-something." Phoebe said in a slightly scared voice. The camera showed the inside of Phoebe's vessel, where the cube was attached to the control panel and was spreading out long yet thin tendrils that seemed to encase most of the damaged vessel. The engine stabilized and it was set into auto pilot, suddenly lurching the vessel upwards to stay on track. "E-Eeek! I don't k-know what's h-happening!"

"Hang on." Marvin said and went closer to investigate. He saw the tendrils enveloped even the outside of the vessel, and upon a closer look, noticed that it was repairing the vessel. "Calm down, Phoebe. Looks like your ride is being repaired."

"It i-is?" Phoebe opened her eyes and saw that she was back on track. She started to smile but shrieked again when more sea creatures swam towards their location. "M-More of them!" She closed her eyes in fear.

"I'll protect you." Marvin said and started to fire on them. His shots weren't enough to keep them at bay and some of them came dangerously close to Phoebe's vessel.

However, that soon ended when her vessel started to open fire on its own, dropping the creatures with deadly accuracy. The vessel continued on its way without faltering, easily dodging the ones that shoot out projectiles and blasting them down as well.

"Hey Phoebe, um, some help over here?" Marvin requested as he was surrounded by a couple of the creatures, his vessel taking heavy damage.

"I c-can't control it." Phoebe said anxiously as she desperately tried to move the controls but it wouldn't obey. "I t-think it's the c-cube?"

"Don't worry, I can still eject from here." Marvin said. He pressed the eject button and was launched off the vessel, but immediately bumped into one of the creatures. "Oops." He gulped.

 **~Confessional~**

 **Phoebe:** *looks at the camera anxiously* I didn't m-mean to leave h-him! It w-was acting on it's own and and a-and please I h-hope he doesn't get mad at m-me.

 **Marvin:** I can't blame Phoebe or what her new asset did. I mean, it was probably programmed to save her life so I can't be mad about that. I just wished I did the eject more properly.

 **~End Confessional~**

The scene switched to the small pathway that leads towards the core's location. Jude's vessel emerged out of the water and the marksman exited it.

"That was one heck of a ride." Jude stretched a bit before going down the pathway. It wasn't long before he heard voices in the distance. "What's happening over there?" He jogged until he reached the center point of the landmass, where he saw the core in the middle being protected by two guards looking like fish people with armor and armed with spears. Over on the other entrances were Arnold and Tatiana, squaring off against one guard that went to apprehend them.

"I just want to touch the core." The gamer girl said, clearly dripping wet.

"This is a restricted area. No unauthorized entry." The guard insisted while raising his golden spear at them.

"Oh yeah? Then take this!" Arnold suddenly charged at the guard and wrestled for his spear.

"Nice! An opening!" Tatiana took this chance to go for the core, but one of the guards turned in time and charged up his spear a bit before firing a single blaster shot at her, catching her in the chest and immediately making her avatar flicker out.

Jude was watching it all from a distance, making sure he isn't spotted by the guards as he slowly crept his way towards the core. Just then, Nicholas came in from another entrance, but wasn't noticed as well as the guards were busy trying to take out Arnold. The soccer player tackled down the guard and wrestled the spear out of his grip.

"Now how do you use this thing?" Arnold experimented by looking down at the guard he just tackled down and piercing his chest, but the latter caught it and was trying to push it back when a blaster shot came from the spear and killed it. "Whoa this is cool!" Arnold didn't get to celebrate for long before a barrage of shots coming from the other two guards hit him and made his avatar disappear.

 **~Confessional~**

 **Arnold:** Not cool.

 **~End Confessional~**

By that point, both Jude and Nicholas are slowly sneaking up on the two guards, both glaring at each other as they weighed their options. They didn't have to think for long before Phoebe's vessel burst forth from a different entrance, now having four arachnid-like legs courtesy of the cube's tendrils. The vessel let loose a burst of blaster shots and the whole place started to crumble.

"S-Sorry everyone! I c-can't control it!" Phoebe said from inside the vessel, looking scared as she watched the vessel gun down the last two guards before they could fire from their spears.

"Phoebe?" Jude looked on in disbelief. Nicholas, however, did not hesitate and rolled forward to avoid the incoming blaster shots.

"I'm almost there." The detective pressed on. Jude saw this and began running as well to try and beat him to it. The vessel moved forward and kept on firing, forcing the two boys to stop for a bit and dodge the attacks.

"I'm r-r-really sorry everyone." Phoebe meekly said. The tendrils formed a hook and chain at the front of the vessel and it shot out to snatch the core from the center, a cold circular object levitating atop a pedestal.

"Not so fast!" Jude desperately reached out and took hold of the chain, yanking it back to prevent it from grabbing the core. The vessel fought back and lifted the chain to pull Jude up, but the marksman did his best to hold his ground while trying to reach out for the core.

"And that's the end of it." Nicholas gave a small smile as he went and took the core for himself in one swipe of an arm.

"Hey no fair." Jude frowned.

"Actually, it is fair." Chris said as his hologram appeared beside Jude. The vessel stopped resisting and turned off upon his entrance. "Which means that Nicholas is the winner for this challenge! He gets immunity and a room in the sci-fi mansion."

"Seriously? And I was so close too." Jude sighed in frustration.

"It was a close game, I'll admit. Phoebe's asset made it even harder." Nicholas looked towards the doll faced girl, who had ejected from her vessel and went up to them shyly.

"P-Please don't hate me." Phoebe said meekly.

"Aw, I can't hate you just because of that." Jude scratched the back of his head.

"It was really thrilling that you can put up a good fight." Nicholas smiled. "I look forward to competing against you in the next challenge."

"Just her?" Jude rolled his eyes.

"You weren't much of an obstacle." Nicholas said evenly. "I had a plan to subdue you even before Phoebe appeared."

 **~Confessional~**

 **Nicholas:** I'm glad I won. I am aware that most, if not all, of the contestants see me as a threat. I will need to win as many immunity challenges as I can in order to secure my place here. Right now, I need to see who everyone is voting for. I doubt sticking with Cassie's alliance will do me any good in the long run.

 **Jude:** That Nicholas. He thinks he's all cool just because he won one challenge? Well the next time he doesn't win one, he's going home.

 **~End Confessional~**

* * *

Everyone gathered outside of the conservatory with Chris about to give an announcement.

"Alright so the ceremony will begin in an hour and will take place here." Chris instructed. "Go on and think who you'll be voting for tonight."

"You got it, Chris~" Valerie giggled.

"Let's get this over with." Cyrus groaned and went inside the conservatory, Marvin following close behind. Everyone else dispersed to talk about the votes.

"Cassie, we need to talk." Nicholas said to the ranch girl. Nataline approached them.

"Please hear us out." Nataline added.

"Well alright y'all." Cassie blinked. "No need to be so formal, y'know." Valerie skipped over to where they are with Phoebe walking beside her.

"What are we gathered here for?" Valerie asked.

"A-Are we going to t-talk about the votes?" Phoebe tilted her head. Nicholas nodded.

"That's right. But first, we are going to make one thing clear. Nataline and I voted for Desmond in the last elimination." Nicholas stated evenly. Cassie's eyes widened for a brief moment before she regained her composure.

"I see." The ranch girl nodded. "Thanks for that y'all."

"There is no need to thank us. Consider it a sign of our truce." Nicholas said. "We would like to join up with your alliance. Nataline, Tatiana, and myself that is."

"I don't see Tatiana anywhere though." Valerie looked around but didn't see her.

"She must be off somewhere. We'll tell her about the vote later." Nataline assured her.

"S-So who are w-we voting for t-tonight?" Phoebe asked.

"We will vote however you want to vote." Nicholas said as he glanced at each member of Cassie's alliance. "It's your call. Jut tell us how to vote this round as long as you help us with our vote next round."

"It's a good deal." Cassie tipped her hat backwards. "But we gotta think about it, though."

"A-And we should t-tell Marvin about it too." Phoebe added.

"Well we should at least tell them who we're voting for." Valerie said and turned to Cassie.

"That's fair enough. We plan on finishing off whatever's left of Desmond's alliance." Cassie told the two.

"So that would be Felix and Arnold." Nataline listed.

"Might I recommend we go after Arnold?" Nicholas spoke up. "Between the two, he is the physical threat when it comes to challenges. Should he win immunity one day, it could turn the tables on us."

"I doubt he can do that with just the two of them but I see your point." Cassie shrugged. "We'll vote for Arnold tonight then."

"T-Then I'll go tell Marvin about t-this." Phoebe offered and went off to go look for Marvin inside the conservatory.

"This is gonna be one easy night." Valerie giggled.

"It sure is." Nataline smiled.

"But just askin' out of the blue, who do you have in mind next time we have to vote?" Cassie asked Nicholas. "Ya did say you want us to help ya out after this right?"

"I plan on voting out Lucy." Nicholas stated.

"Lucy? Why her? She ain't strong." Cassie blinked.

"But she is smart." Nicholas reasoned. "She may even be this game's cunning strategist. Let's just say she has a way of manipulating people as if she's a criminal. A well organized and highly intelligent criminal, that is."

"Wow. That went dark fast." Valerie remarked.

"But it is true. She has a criminal record." Nicholas said matter-of-factly. "I want to play this game fair and square. Lucy is the kind of person to use underhanded tactics in order to win."

"Well if ya say so." Cassie shrugged and tipped her hat forward. "We'll vote for her after we take out Arnold tonight."

"It's a deal then." Nataline smiled and put her hands together. "I should go find Tatiana." She walked off.

"It must be nice being in charge of a powerful alliance." Nicholas commented.

"Yeah! Cassie here is a born leader!" Valerie exclaimed and winked at her friend. Cassie just scratched the back of her head gave a light chuckle.

"Maybe. I take charge sometimes back at my hometown so it's nothing new." Cassie said.

"I believe it will benefit you well." Nicholas nodded with a small smile.

 **~Confessional~**

 **Cassie:** I'm gonna tell Lucy about what Nicholas is planning. I can't trust the detective guy, he's like the biggest challenge threat here, y'know? But I'm still down to voting for Arnold tonight.

 **Nataline:** I hope Nicholas knows what he's doing. Trying to get close with the biggest alliance could lead to so many different things. I'm here to help him out while I plan to eliminate Terrance in the long run, but I don't want that to backfire on me. I wonder what Tatiana thinks of all this.

 **Valerie:** This game is such a breeze when you're part of such a strong alliance! I wanna pull my weight too so I'm gonna see how everyone else is voting tonight.

 **Nicholas:** I know for a fact that eliminating Lucy will no be easy task. That is why I want to enlist Cassie's help for this. Her alliance is roughly the biggest one in the game which makes the chances even higher. All I have to do is ensure Lucy does not win any challenges while keeping myself safe.

 **~End Confessional~**

Lucy was about to meet Jude at the park when she was pulled aside by Tatiana.

"I'll make this quick so you better listen up." Tatiana said to the other girl in a confronting tone.

"And what is it this time?" Lucy smiled innocently but her red eye glowed just as she said that.

"I'm telling you for the last time to let Terrance go. Stop feeding him lies." Tatiana glared.

"I'm not feeding him any lies." Lucy smirked. "I'm giving him what he wants. I'm going to help him eliminate Nataline and Nicholas. Can you do the same? Oh wait, you can't!"

"What?" Tatiana looked taken aback.

"Because you're aligned with those two. The very same enemies of Terrance. Don't you think you're the one being selfish by telling me to stop?" Lucy raised her eyebrow.

"But I.." Tatiana didn't know what else to say as she stepped back. "I know that you'll betray him one day!" She retorted.

"Is that so? Perhaps you're right." Lucy laughed evilly. "But what of it? I can't hold his hand throughout the entire merge. Not to mention he has a better chance of winning challenges than I do. If anything, I'm giving him too much of an advantage."

"Well that's true." The gamer girl conceded.

"But what about you? If you promise him the final two, do you think he will accept? You, who acted as one of the Red Siths power players. You, who has enough social power to garner everyone's support." Lucy listed.

"B-But he has assets too!" Tatiana argued.

"But does it compare to that mecha chocobo you have? Does it?" Lucy asked as she brushed past her. "Next time you think of others, think of the pedestal you stand upon. Think about the gap. You're out of his league. Why won't you embrace it?" She shook her head and continued on to the park, leaving Tatiana there speechless.

 **~Confessional~**

 **Lucy:** *her red eye glows a bit* Who does Tatiana think she is? She likes him, yet she doesn't realize that we're still playing the game. Emotions will only cloud your judgement. They aren't going to win you the game. Now on the other hand, Cassie told me something really interesting. It looks like Nicholas is ready to make a move against me, huh? Well I'm not afraid. This is going to be another easy night.

 **Tatiana:** I know Lucy is wrong somehow. I just got caught up in her arguments, that's all! I have to do something quick. I need to vote her off immediately so that she won't do any more damage!

 **~End Confessional~**

Marvin found Cyrus in the conservatory by himself and decided to talk to him.

"Cyrus, let's talk about the vote." Marvin offered.

"What is there to talk about? Are you gonna say Lucy sent you?" Cyrus raised his eyebrow.

"No." Marvin shook his head. "I just want to ask about who you're voting for tonight."

"Well since there's no way Phoebe will go home tonight, might as well vote for Nataline and just throw away my vote." Cyrus said dismissively.

"Fine. Have it your way then." Marvin sighed and turned to leave.

"But how about you? Who will you vote for?" Cyrus asked.

"I'll try my best to make them vote for Nataline too. I'll also see who Cassie and the others will vote for." Marvin said. Right after he said that, Phoebe came running up to them.

"O-Oh. I You're t-talking with someone. S-Sorry." Phoebe said softly as she saw Cyrus.

"Go ahead. I'm done talking with him." Cyrus grunted and went to the far side of the conservatory.

"What is it, Phoebe?" Marvin asked her while giving a smile.

"We were j-just talking about t-the vote outside." Phoebe said. "T-They said w-we should vote for Arnold t-tonight."

"The soccer player? Sure thing." Marvin nodded. "The less physical threats, the better."

"A-And he's against our friends t-too." Phoebe added with a smile.

"Yeah. That's right." Marvin scratched the back of his head.

 **~Confessional~**

 **Marvin:** I really can't tell Phoebe that I technically have betrayed Cassie and the alliance. It's too risky and I know how much she cares for them. So for now, I'll do what they say.

 **Phoebe:** I'm sure M-Marvin would never t-think about b-betraying us. He e-even agreed to vote for A-Arnold tonight so it's going to b-be fine.

 **Cyrus:** Phoebe can enjoy her stay here for as long as she can, because one day elimination will come to bite her in the butt. Yes I am aware that throwing away my vote this round is dumb for someone in the merge, but I don't care what you people think anyway.

 **~End Confessional~**

Terrance went to the park as Lucy instructed him to do earlier and saw that there were more people than he thought.

"Sup." Felix waved to him.

"That's the last one right?" Arnold turned to Lucy.

"Yes, that's right." Lucy smiled. "Now we can begin."

"Why are these two with us?" Terrance motioned his hand towards Arnold and Felix.

"I'll explain later. This strategy meeting comes first." Lucy said.

"Cool. So who are we voting for?" Jude asked excitedly.

"It has to be someone from Cassie's alliance right? Maybe Cassie herself once again!" Felix exclaimed.

"No, we aren't voting for Cassie tonight." Lucy shook her head. "We'll be voting for her lackey, Valerie."

"Really? She isn't dangerous at all." Arnold thought out loud.

"That's what you think. But I know the method she uses." Lucy said. "She may have a weak physical game, but her social game is strong. She cannot be underestimated, even if their alliance falls apart by Cassie's loss."

"What do you mean?" Felix asked with a tilted head, still confused.

"If we vote off Cassie, Valerie will simply take Phoebe and use both their great social games to rise up the ranks once more. It will be difficult to pick them off at this rate." Lucy explained. "Cassie, on the other hand, will likely not have anyone to turn to when her alliance crumbles down."

"But she can still win challenges." Terrance pointed out.

"Not always." Lucy smirked. "We have you, Jude, and Arnold to run against her in physical challenges. She won't last too long."

"But what will we do on the times she wins?" Jude asked.

"Simple. We vote off the other threats. Like Nicholas for example." Lucy said. "That way, we win the strategic game no matter what."

"Just as long as the others' votes are divided." Terrance said.

"That's correct. Although, that wouldn't be too hard." Lucy giggled.

"You mean you know that the votes will always be split?" Felix asked. "That's impressive."

"Thank you." Lucy smirked. "Tonight will be no different, I assure you. But just in case, I'll tell Marvin we're voting for Valerie."

"I trust you, Lucy." Jude said as he wrapped an arm around her.

"Same here. We got no choice after all." Arnold added. "Me and Felix will vote for her too."

"Yeah. Totally." Felix grinned. "Valerie won't know what hit her."

"I don't know Valerie much so I got no objections." Terrance adjusted his glasses.

"Don't worry, Terrance. You'll have your chance to shine soon." Lucy grinned at the techie boy. "Be patient, and the votes will fall in."

 **~Confessional~**

 **Terrance:** I'm not hasty to vote out Nataline and Nicholas anymore now that I heard Lucy's line of logic. And she's right, we do have the advantage in strategic planning. I just hope that tonight will go our way.

 **Arnold:** I got no choice but to trust Lucy on this. I mean, she's got the brains and all to make this happen so I can't judge. I just gotta make sure Felix is still loyal to stick with me just in case something comes up.

 **Felix:** Lucy is pretty cool when it comes to eliminations. Maybe sticking with her isn't a bad idea.

 **Jude:** I'm a little concerned that Lucy is attracting boys into this alliance, but I have faith in her. No way is she actualyl gonna cheat on me right? *looks around a bit nervously*

 **~End Confessional~**

* * *

 **(Elimination Ceremony)**

Everyone gathered outside the conservatory once again and saw that thirteen steel chairs were there. Chris stood in front and waited for them to take their seats before he began.

"Welcome to tonight's elimination ceremony!" Chris started. "After tonight, we'll be back to the number originally meant for the merge."

"Oh right. I almost forgot about that." Tatiana realized.

"So after tonight, it'll definitely feel like the merge." Jude said.

"That's right." Chris grinned. "Well let's get right to it!" He got the space food container. "First one safe is obviously the challenge winner, Nicholas." He tossed it to the detective and he caught it easily. "Also safe are..."

"Terrance."

"Jude."

"Phoebe."

"Marvin."

"Cyrus."

"Felix."

"Tatiana."

"Cassie."

"Nataline."

"Lucy."

This left Arnold and Valerie in the bottom two.

"Ha! I bet everyone else voted for you~" Valerie winked.

"We'll see about that." Arnold smirked.

"I hope it doesn't end up as another tie breaker." Marvin said.

"That would be hilarious." Cyrus smirked.

"And the last space food container goes to..." Chris paused for dramatic effect.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

"...Valerie!" He tossed the last one to the flirt and she caught it then kisses it repeatedly.

"I'm still safe! Yes!" Valerie cheered and sighed in relief.

"Darn it. The final whistle and I lost." Arnold shook his head and looked down.

"Sorry to hear that dude." Felix went over and pat his back. "I'll do my best for us."

"I'm counting on you dude." Arnold gripped the prankster's shoulder and gave a short nod. "You got this."

"And that's why you shouldn't mess with us~" Valerie winked. "But that doesn't make me want you less." She added.

"Arnold, you leave this game at 13th place." Chris said to the soccer player and the white light broke through the clouds and shone down on him, taking his avatar out of the virtual world. "The rest of you may head back now except for Nataline, Phoebe, and Nicholas since they'll head back to the mansion with me."

Nicholas silently glanced at Lucy, who glared at him and clenched her fist. Marvin looked at Phoebe who seemed happy along with Valerie and Cassie before quietly heading back to the conservatory. Terrance grunted and adjusted his glasses, not bothering to look at Nataline who had a smirk on her face.

 **~Votes~**

 **Nicholas:** Arnold is a physical threat that must be dealt with quickly. Eliminating Lucy can wait for now.

 **Marvin:** Lucy went to me before the ceremony started and told me that I should vote for Valerie. But if I do that, then Cassie will definitely be suspicious of me. Sorry, but I vote for Arnold.

 **Nataline:** I didn't like Arnold so much so I have no qualms of getting him out. The less people likely to win challenges, the better.

 **Cassie:** Y'all know by now that I don't like anyone who is bad to my friends. And that's why I gotta vote for Arnold.

 **Phoebe:** E-everyone is voting for A-Arnold so I have to d-do the same. N-No hard feelings p-please.

 **Lucy:** Valerie's social game cannot be overlooked and neither can Phoebe's. But for now, I'll vote off the flirt. She's the more aggressive one.

 **Jude:** I'm gonna vote for Valerie like Lucy said. I know she's been nothing but nice to us, but I'm just playing the game so there's nothing wrong with that.

 **Felix:** Totally voting for Valerie tonight. I can't believe that the underdog team is now among greater numbers! It's time to turn the tide in our favor.

 **Arnold:** I'm voting for Valerie tonight. I'd actually wanna vote for Cassie again but I wouldn't risk splitting the votes like that.

 **Cyrus:** My vote goes to Nataline. I'm just gonna waste my votes until the time has come to vote off who I really want gone.

 **Tatiana:** This time, I'm voting for Lucy! Maybe she won't be eliminated but at least it'll send a message to her that I'm out to take her down.

 **Terrance:** Voting for Valerie isn't such a bad idea. In the end, it makes Cassie's alliance smaller so why not?

 **Valerie:** I'm voting for Arnold just so that our alliance will always be the biggest! I can just relax and take it easy now, huh?

 **~Eliminated~**

 **(24th place) Richard - The Maestro**

 **(23rd place) Delilah - The Serpent**

 **(22nd place)** **Harvey - The Chill Guy**

 **(21st place)** **Betty - The Phone Addict**

 **(20th place)** **Wesley - The Blue Blood**

 **(19th place)** **Shane - The Lone Wolf**

 **(18th place)** **Ivy - The Distant Cloud**

 **(17th place)** **Sarah - The Rocker Girl**

 **(16th place)** **Nelly - The Arrogant Nerd**

 **(15th place) Jane - The Survival Expert**

 **(14th place) Desmond - The Jack of all Trades**

 **(13th place) Arnold - The Soccer Player**

* * *

Chris stood at the entrance of the conservatory and grinned at the camera. "And with that, Arnold takes the fall tonight! I guess even talented strikers can miss their mark." He chuckled. "We're back to twelve players, the number which usually means the merge will kick off. Lines have been drawn in the sand though some would rather traverse in the middle. Will Cassie out that Lucy has betrayed her trust? Will Terrance ever get his chance to strike back at Nataline? Can Phoebe remain oblivious to Marvin's schemes? Find out next time on Total...Drama...Sci-Fi Showdown!" He spread out his arms dramatically before the camera turned off.

* * *

 **And that's the end of Arnold.** **I always expected that he would go home early in the merge, I just didn't know at what point. This is because that despite not having many allies, he persevered and voted in the right way every time. It was also hard for others to vote him off considering there are bigger targets than him out there. But this is the end of the line for the ace striker, and I hope you all enjoyed his stay in the game for this long. See you all next time! :) XBloodLegendX**


	20. Chapter 19: Truth and Lies on Trial

**"I'm not upset that you lied to me, I'm upset that from now on I can't believe you." - Friedrich Nietzsche**

* * *

"Last time on Total Drama Sci-Fi Showdown," Chris started off while grinning his signature smile at the camera. "Everyone put on their swimsuits and dove deep down into the sea for their challenge." The hologram showed numerous monster sea creatures swarming in numbers.

"They fought off the natives to reach the goal, which is the core of the alien planet of Piscciss." Chris chuckled. "Their challenge is to steal it, and the first person to do so wins immunity and of course a spot in the Sci-Fi Mansion." He said. The hologram now showed the contestants on board their mini vessels that served as their transport.

"They raced to the center of the planet, all while trying to stay alive." Chris stated, with the hologram showing footage of Felix ejecting from his vessel, Valerie's vessel being pummeled by the hostile sea creatures, and Lucy and Jude fending off the sea creatures. "Many failed to even get close, while some just had a poor strategy to begin with." He chuckled sadistically.

The hologram now showed Jude, Arnold, Tatiana, Nicholas, and Phoebe's portraits. "Those that did survive the first half did their best to steal the core. And in the end, it was Nicholas who swiped immunity." Chris announced.

"Strategy came into play that night, with alliances being tried and tested for the first time in a big scale." Chris said in a dramatic voice. "But the person who went home that night was the ace striker Arnold Kicksalot." He chuckled at the last part. "Man, I love his name. But anyways, who will win the next immunity challenge? Can Phoebe's asset be useful once again in the next challenge? And how will Lucy bounce back from last night's unfortunate elimination? Find out here on Total..Drama..Sci-Fi Showdown!" He finished with arms spread out dramatically.

* * *

 **(Sci-Fi Mansion)**

Phoebe was walking around the garden to admire the flowers when she saw Nataline sitting down by the gazebo, plucking the petals off a sunflower with a furrowed brow.

"G-Good morning, Nataline." Phoebe greeted the other girl.

"Oh hello there, Phoebe." Nataline greeted back, her mood lightening when she saw the doll faced girl.

"C-Can I s-sit here with you?" Phoebe asked meekly as she motioned towards the seat across from the gazebo.

"Of course you can." Nataline smiled sweetly. Phoebe smiled back and sat down then looked at all the fallen petals on the ground beneath her.

"So why a-are you doing this to the f-flowers?" Phoebe asked with a slight frown.

"Sorry it's just that I'm not especially fond of them." Nataline sighed. "Yes I know that the best thing to do is stay inside, but for some reason plucking out petals calms me."

"Calms y-you?" Phoebe repeated. "Is s-something bothering you?"

"There's this competition." Nataline pointed out. "And the fact that people are going to target Nicholas and I because we won immunity at least once."

"I w-won immunity too and I d-don't see myself as b-being targeted." Phoebe frowned.

"That's because people adore you. But you never know, maybe Cyrus is out to get you." Nataline shrugged.

"I h-hope not." Phoebe cowered a bit.

"Calm down, I didn't mean to worry you." Nataline lightened up a bit. "But you can trust Nicholas and I. I know Nicholas was a bit blunt during the last challenge so I hope you'll forgive him."

"I u-understand." Phoebe nodded. "He's just trying to w-win too. I can't b-be mad about that."

"Have you ever gotten mad in our time here yet?" Nataline asked.

"I d-don't think so." Phoebe admitted after thinking for a while. She gave a shy smile. "I a-always get anxious a-anyway."

"That's good." Nataline giggled. Then quickly realized what she said. "I meant the fact you didn't get angry yet, not the other one."

Now it was Phoebe's turn to giggle. "What about you, N-Nataline? Have you gotten a-angry yet?"

"Countless times already." Nataline admitted with a shrug. "Not my fault Terrance pisses me off a lot."

"H-He does?" Phoebe blinked. "He isn't a-annoying me or a-anything."

"He doesn't have a reason to." Nataline explained. "But for me, one look and he's already on my case. I'd like to think he's simply jealous of me." She huffed. "I did nothing wrong to him on the first day we got here. He's in the wrong."

"I s-see." Phoebe said, not quite understanding everything she said. "W-Well I hope you two g-get along someday."

Nataline laughed as she stared down at the flower she held with only a few petals left intact. She plucked them out as well. "That'll be the day."

 **~Confessional~**

 **Phoebe:** I don't get w-why those two keep f-fighting, but I really h-hope they get along one d-day. They k-kinda look cute together. *she giggles softly*

 **Nataline:** Phoebe really is an innocent girl, huh? Unlike me who's already seen so many horrors of this world, she's acting her age and just enjoying the game.

 **~End Confessional~**

Nicholas explored around the mansion a bit more, looking at every nook and cranny as he did.

"I never got to get a good look at this place even since the hide and seek challenge." He noted to himself. "If I know Chris, he would have placed a few secrets in this mansion." The detective rounded a corner and went inside a bathroom to investigate.

"The trap door leading to the basement was one thing. I'm surprised Delilah even managed to find out about it." Nicholas pondered as he opened the cover of the toilet tank and found nothing suspicious. He then tried for behind the medicine cabinet but no such luck. He left the bathroom and continued on his way.

"Perhaps the machinery lab will yield better results for me." Nicholas muttered as he opened the door to the said room and entered. It was cleaned up after that challenge days ago, with the worktables all clean again and the tools well organized and neatly arranged. "If Terrance won a challenge, he would hole up in here I'd assume." He then picked up the terminator's head and inspected it. "Which is why he cannot be allowed to win once."

He left and went upstairs once again. If exploring the other rooms yielded no results, then it is about time he returns to the two suspicious rooms on the ends of the same hallway where the bedrooms were. He first approached the Silver Terminators' reward room.

"I wonder what is behind this door." He said to himself and entered. The asset room was exactly the same as when Phoebe entered it yesterday. Nicholas walked towards the center and gazed upon the pedestal. He pressed down on the red button, and the hatch slowly opened. "This is..." He tilted his head at what he got.

 **~Confessional~**

 **Nicholas:** After receiving the asset, I went to the other reward room. I got acquainted with the AI there before asking my question. I believe I have a fairly good idea on what the next challenge may be, and how I can win it.

 **~End Confessional~**

* * *

 **(Conservatory)**

Terrance was sitting under a small tree, staring at all his collected parts from outside.

"Just a few more bolts and maybe an extra metal sheet to be safe, and I can begin." The techie boy muttered to himself.

"What are you working on?" Valerie went over to him, waving flirtatiously.

"Something for myself." Terrance said. Valerie sat down beside him a little too close.

"Ooh~ Sounds really cool." Valerie purred. "Why not make me an asset too?" She winked.

"Sorry, don't have enough materials." Terrance grunted.

"You sound cold. What did I ever do to you?" Valerie pouted playfully.

"I'm just not comfortable around girls." Terrance sighed. "Nothing personal against you."

"But girls are nice. And hot." Valerie winked again and giggled cutely. This made Terrance blush a little but he held his ground. "You should give us a chance."

"Look I had enough girls get on my case, and not in a good way." Terrance told her as he picked up a small iron rod and a bolt to inspect it a bit.

"What do you mean?" Valerie blinked. "Oh wait, is this about you and Nataline?"

"Part of it, yeah." Terrance admitted.

"You mean there are others?" Valerie asked.

"Yeah, like I kinda pissed Tatiana off yesterday with what I said. I didn't even know she was listening in so it's not my fault!" The techie boy defended.

"Well some girls are that fragile with words." Valiere pouted. "And I didn't think Tatiana was the type to get pissed that easily. Good job."

"Thanks." Terrance said sarcastically as he adjusted his glasses.

"But really you should go and talk to her about it." Valerie insisted and tugged at his hoodie. Terrance just shrugged her off.

"I'll do it later after I finish this." He said dismissively.

"But you can make her feel better if you apologize." Valerie reasoned.

"Like I said, later." Terrance repeated with emphasis on the last word.

 **~Confessional~**

 **Valerie:** Terrance would rather go make himself an asset than go apologize to an adorable girl like Tatiana. And doesn't he already have an asset of his own? Why the need for another? Okay I get that winning the game is on his mind, but I know it'll leave a bad taste in his mouth if he doesn't fix his social problem first.

 **Terrance:** Valerie is just being this carefree because she can just sit back and relax while her alliance does all the work. Me? I need these assets in order to stay in the game. Apologizing can come later.

 **~End Confessional~**

Felix walked alone down the streets of the abandoned city. He kept his thoughts to himself as he kicked aside empty cans he happened to stumble upon.

"This sucks." The prankster said sadly. "So much for the underdog team." He sighed to himself.

"I think this goes over here?" He heard Tatiana's voice coming from a nearby car repair shop and peeked inside to find the gamer girl fixing up her mecha chocobo.

"Hey Tatiana." Felix greeted.

"Oh hey there, Felix." Tatiana greeted back but didn't look at him as she too busy fixing something from under the chocobo with a wrench.

"Repairing your asset, I see." The prankster grinned as he sat down on the spacious spot on the worktable.

"I have to. I wanna keep up with the rest." Tatiana said. "Plus Terrance isn't helping me so I'm doing this alone." She said sadly.

"Sorry to hear that. Guess you have it rough too." Felix sighed.

"Oh yeah, Arnold was voted off last night. You were pretty sad about that, huh?" Tatiana said as she sat up and looked at the prankster.

"Yeah. We were supposed to be the underdog team. You know, making big comebacks against Cassie's alliance. But I guess it isn't happening." Felix scratched the back of his head.

"You can always join my party along with Nataline and Nicholas." Tatiana offered. "But then again, I don't even know what they're up to nowadays."

"Sorry, I'm in an alliance with Lucy." Felix admitted.

"What!?" Tatiana gasped and stood up now, her mecha chocobo startled then letting out a squawk. "Why would you do that!?"

"Why not? She's pretty good at strategy." Felix blinked, confused at her sudden outburst.

"She's just manipulating you, just like what she's doing to Terrance." Tatiana pointed out.

"Really? That's why he's sticking by her?" Felix thought for a moment. "Well I still need her protection."

"No you don't. You can help me vote her out!" Tatiana exclaimed. "Come on! Red Sith for life, right?"

"But it's just gonna be the two of us, Nataline, and Nicholas." Felix counted off. "We're still in the minori- Wait a minute, no we're not." He realized. "Lucy would be left with just Jude and Terrance."

"See? We can work this out." Tatiana gave a toothy grin, clearly pleased with herself.

"I'll think about it." Felix said to her with a smile. "But I'm leaning towards this whole 'Red Sith for life' thing." He laughed.

"Thanks!" She beamed. "Oh, can you pass me that screwdriver?" She pointed at the tool beside him. Felix got it and tossed it to her, which she caught.

 **~Confessional~**

 **Tatiana:** Felix is a nice person, so I kinda feel bad for not including him in my party back in the beginning. But hey, it's never too late to recruit new party members!

 **Felix:** Tatiana does have a good point. If I join them, I won't be in the minority anymore. But of course there is still Cassie's alliance to worry about.

 **~End Confessional~**

Cyrus walked around the ruined park with a piqued interest. He inspected the abnormal state of the park's fountain.

"Why didn't I go to this part of the city?" He wondered in amazement.

"Because I usually dwell here in my free time." Lucy smirked from behind him. It startled the emo boy a bit but he quickly hid it before facing her.

"Oh it's you." Cyrus said in a deadpan.

"I just wanted to see how you're doing today. Still being the same old Cyrus I see." Lucy giggled in a sinister way.

"You laugh like that because you're on your high horse." Cyrus spat. "You never gave me any updates. Always having Marvin to do it for you."

"Really now?" Lucy looked surprised. "I didn't give Marvin any orders these past few nights since Jane's elimination." She said.

"I knew it. He was lying." Cyrus sighed. "Look I'm pretty much done with whatever you have to say. So just beat it."

"But this is my spot." Lucy said with an evil grin. "You're the one who should 'beat it'."

"But I'm getting inspiration from this park." Cyrus said with a glare her way. Jude walked towards them while whistling.

"Hey what are you doing here? Lucy, is this guy bothering you?" Jude asked his girlfriend while glancing at Cyrus.

"Yes he is. He won't leave me alone and was about to tell me to leave our favorite spot." Lucy said with a pout and looked down sadly. Jude clenched his fists and stormed up to Cyrus.

"You better apologize to her and leave." He demanded.

"I'll leave, but I won't apologize." Cyrus sneered and turned on his heel before leaving. However, Jude grabbed the back of his shirt and spun him back around. "Wha- Hey!"

"I said, apologize." Jude glared down at him while pointing at Lucy behind him, unaware that she was looking at Cyrus with a victorious smirk.

"Fine, dammit. I'm sorry." Cyrus said with fake sincerity. "Can I go now?"

"Yeah. Beat it." Jude said rudely. Cyrus turned and left, rolling his eyes and mimicking his face as he said, 'Beat it'.

 **~Confessional~**

 **Cyrus:** Lucy is that confident in herself that she would want to make an enemy out of me now? Well screw her! I don't need her! I knew I'm gonna be eliminated someday but first I want Phoebe gone and then her gone. I just wanted to be in the park for a few minutes. Nothing wrong with that. *he rolled his eyes*

 **Lucy:** *her red eyes glows brightly* That Cyrus needs to learn who calls the shots here. Yes he got led on by Marvin these last few eliminations, but that's his fault for being so...distant from everyone else. No one will help him. No one will save him. What can he do but obey me?

 **Jude:** I swear the next time I see Cyrus ever talking to Lucy like that again, I'll beat him up like last time. *his eyes suddenly widened* Wait a minute, am I turning into a bully? Naw, I'm doing it for love. It's justified. Right?

 **~End Confessional~**

Marvin was in the geyser area, just looking at how it spews out as he pondered on a lot of things. Cassie approached from behind him, with narrowed eyes and a frown on her face.

"Marvin." She said. "We need to talk, ya hear?"

"Sure thing." Marvin turned around to face her with a smile, which dropped immediately after seeing her expression. "What's wrong?"

"Who did ya vote for last night?" Cassie asked him sternly.

"For Arnold." Marvin said honestly. "Phoebe told me about it."

"Well something's been bugging me last night." Cassie shook her head. "Especially after Nicholas n' Nataline said they voted for Desmond back then."

"And you believe them over me?" Marvin frowned. "I am your alliance member."

Cassie scratched the back of her head. "They ain't lookin' like they're lying though."

"And that's your only basis?" Marvin sighed. "Then believe what you want." He turned away and kept observing the geysers.

"Hey come on now. It's just a suspicion, ya know." Cassie reached out to touch his shoulder. "I still consider ya a friend."

"Me too, which is why I hope you can trust me." Marvin said without looking at her.

"Yeah I trust ya." Cassie smiled now.

"Thanks." Marvin smiled a bit. "If that's all, I just wanna be alone with my thoughts for now."

"Oh okay. Ya can talk if ya need anything, okay?" Cassie said as she walked away.

"Yeah. Thanks again." Marvin said as he heard her leave. "And sorry." He muttered to himself once she was out of earshot.

 **~Confessional~**

 **Cassie:** Maybe it was a bit much to doubt Marvin like that without proof or anything ya know. But it was just bugging me so I thought I could talk to him 'bout it.

 **Marvin:** Every time I talk to her or to anyone else from her alliance, my heart beats faster. I start to sweat a bit too. They don't notice it so it's fine, but am I starting to regret what I'm doing? I wonder what the price I have to pay will be if they find out. And...is it really worth it?

 **~End Confessional~**

Cassie found Lucy in the park, talking to Terrance about something.

"Howdy y'all." Cassie greeted.

"Ah, good morning." Lucy greeted, her red eye glowing a bit.

"Hey." Terrance greeted half-heartedly.

"Real close one last night." Cassie chuckled a bit. "Valerie almost went home last night."

"Almost? I'm sure the votes weren't that close." Lucy mused as she looked towards the ranch girl. "I think a few stray votes just made it's way to her."

"I guess." Cassie shrugged. "So who did y'all vote for?"

"We voted for Arnold, right Terrance?" Lucy turned towards the techie boy as her red eye glowed a bit and with an innocent smile, hoping he would take the hint.

"Uh yeah. We voted for Arnold." Terrance said while adjusting his glasses. "He's a physical threat after all."

"They say I'm a physical threat too ya know." Cassie pointed out.

"Yes but you are our ally." Lucy immediately said with a grin. "Why would we vote you out over Arnold?"

"Fair point." Cassie conceded.

"So who's the next vote?" Terrance asked Lucy.

"Either Nataline or Nicholas." Lucy answered. "I'm still weighing our options."

"Let's do one over Nicholas and send him home again y'all." Cassie suggested.

"But Nataline might make a comeback if she stays any longer. We should take her out first." Terrance argued.

"And this is why I'm still thinking about it." Lucy sighed. "Either option has its ups and downs. I don't want to make any wrong decisions."

"I get it." Terrance muttered.

"Ya got a point there." Cassie tipped her hat backward.

"But don't worry, I'll definitely make a decision by tonight." Lucy grinned.

 **~Confessional~**

 **Lucy:** Both Nicholas and Nataline are thorns in my side, but I must not rush with removing it or else the damage will get worse. I need to think hard about what to do, especially after Arnold's elimination.

 **Cassie:** My gut tells me Lucy is up to something but I pay no mind to that. I mean I had suspicions about Marvin and I was dead wrong ya know so maybe trusting Lucy ain't so bad of a choice.

 **~End Confessional~**

* * *

Chris called up the remaining contestants outside of the conservatory, and made sure to give a portal for the ones coming from the mansion. They all gathered up for their next challenge.

"Everyone here?" Chris looked around. "Good."

"I hope the next challenge is another physical one." Cassie grinned.

"Damn you and your strength." Cyrus rolled his eyes.

"Quiet!" Chris ordered. "You guys are really gonna want to hear about this challenge. Because it's simple in concept, but can wreck every foundation you have whether as an alliance, as friends, or as individuals." He said ominously then laughed sadistically.

"What?" Tatiana blinked.

"As an alliance?" Lucy narrowed her eyes at the host.

"As friends?" Marvin repeated then started wondering to himself.

"As individuals?" Nataline looked a bit nervous as Chris said that.

"So it's not a physical challenge?" Jude inquired.

"Nope, but I can assure you that it's mentally straining." Chris chuckled. "Prepare yourself either way."

"W-Wasn't the phobia c-challenge enough?" Phoebe said anxiously.

"In Total Drama, no contestant torture is enough." Chris laughed more.

"Then let's get right to it." Terrance sighed.

"That's the spirit! Follow me." Chris tapped something on a small blue hologram screen on his wrist and a portal appeared behind him. The contestants all filed into the portal one by one to go to the next location designated for their challenge.

 **~Confessional~**

 **Marvin:** This might be troublesome for me, or not. I don't know, depends on the challenge really.

 **Nataline:** Wreck my foundation as an individual? What does that mean? I can already tell it's going to be a hard challenge but still.

 **Nicholas:** Yes, I think I have a fair chance at winning this challenge with the asset I have. I simply hope the others do not take advantage of the opportunities too much.

 **~End Confessional~**

* * *

The contestants all emerged from the portal and looked all around them. A spacious area, though obviously a closed one. Neon grid lines resembling that of data lines crawled along the walls and glowed a bright green. There seemed to be no entrance nor exit, and so they realize it's essentially a large steel box they're in.

"Dude, where are we?" Felix looked around in awe.

"Not somewhere we want to be." Lucy's red eye glowed as she narrowed her eyes at the center of the room. Twelve pedestals stood in a circle and rather close to each other.

"Come on. I'll show you to your pedestals. You can't just stand anywhere." Chris chuckled and motioned for them to follow him. Soon, they all stood on their respective pedestals. In clockwise order is Nicholas, Marvin, Nataline, Cassie, Phoebe, Lucy, Jude, Felix, Cyrus, Tatiana, Terrance, and then Valerie.

"Hey what are these?" Jude asked the host as he pointed at the alloy insignia atop the pedestal, with a small stand to keep it upright. His was a blue longbow that is shown drawing back an arrow, with lightning sparks instead of feathers at its rear.

"It's good you noticed that. Those are your emblems, representing you or your family and is basically there to remind you twelve are now part of the real merge cast." Chris grinned.

"It's stuck." Valerie pouted as she tried to remove hers from the pedestal but it looked like the stand is stuck to it. Hers is a scarlet lips that are puckered and formed a small heart in the middle.

"That's because all you can do is admire it, not take it back." Chris laughed sadistically. "You didn't think I'd let you have too much glory, now would you?"

"Ass." Cyrus muttered under his breath. His insignia was a dark crimson raven with its wings spread and its face pointing skyward with a skull mark on its chest. "It looked really symbolic too."

"Aw shucks. I wanna keep this too y'all." Cassie frowned as she stared at her insignia. It's the head of a brown bull with the horns curved downward and is wearing a cowboy hat. It also looked to have a golden nose ring.

"It would be nice, but I have one back home." Nicholas inspected his own insignia which was a round dark obsidian gem surrounded by a vortex of black fire that swirled menacingly. The intricacy of the gem looked so well made, one could assume it was alive.

"The same goes for me. Although, I could use one in my room." Nataline remarked as she stared at her insignia, which was the same as the pin on her dress, a big 'L' with a cross behind it and adorned with three roses at the bottom part.

"I find it c-cute." Phoebe said with a small smile as she looked at hers. Its a female white doll with a flowing yellow skirt and with its hands dramatically playing the violin, and small circles resembling the audience's heads are in the background surrounding it, watching the doll perform.

"Interesting too." Terrance adjusted his glasses as he stared intently at his insignia. It resembles a triangle, with the top point looking like the front end of a star destroyer ship, the left point looking like the psi-blade he has, and the right point being a blaster. All this connects through arcs of lightning that formed the triangle and the inside of it are circuit lines much like the ones in the area itself.

Lucy stared down at hers silently, and narrowed her eyes. It resembled a theater mask, but instead it was just a sad face with both a halo and devil horns on its head. The right eye was glowing red just like hers, while the left eye had a single tear streaming down the cheek. Jude noticed this and was about to say something when he saw her sad expression while looking at it and decided against speaking.

"Mine is so awesome!" Tatiana exclaimed with a grin. Her insignia is a circular outline with three hearts on the top part with the colors red, blue, and green. In the middle is a yellow chocobo head with a squawking beak, and a spearhead with the tip facing upwards in its background. "It's a chocobo!"

"Mine is pretty neat too." Felix smirked as he proudly presented his insignia by pointing at it with both index fingers. It's a jester running while holding a whoopie cushion with a mischievous grin on his face. On his other hand is a fake centipede.

"Hmm, not bad." Marvin looked at his insignia in wonder. It's a large green question mark upside down, with a figure in a thinking position sitting at the hook-like part of the symbol. The dot on the question mark almost resembled a small sun.

"Well enough of that. We still have a challenge to do." Chris got everyone's attention again. "But first, we have to introduce the one who's going to instruct you."

"Isn't that your job?" Cyrus raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah, don't be an irresponsible host." Tatiana added.

"Look I don't know how to handle this properly." Chris frowned. "But this one is an expert. And for some of you, a familiar voice."

"A voice?" Felix looked confused.

"That is correct, Felix Henderson." The voice said in a monotone, echoing around the room.

"What the- Who's there?" The prankster looked around in a panic.

"It does sound familiar." Cyrus realized as he looked around as well. Everyone followed suit but found no one there.

"You will find nothing and no one with those eyes." The voice said. "To those who are not familiar with me, I am Marietta. I serve as the instructor for this challenge." Marietta explained.

"It's you after all." Nataline gave a small smile. "I think I know why."

"Who's this Marietta y'all?" Cassie scratched the back of her head in confusion.

"The AI who knows all about us." Nicholas stated. "Or so she says."

"Whoa, really?" Tatiana blinked, looking shocked.

"That's kinda embarrassing." Valerie admitted with a small blush.

"Sounds probable. But I'm not so sure." Terrance said skeptically.

"I assure you that my programming will prove useful in this challenge." Marietta assured the techie boy. "And when I prove that, you'll wish I didn't."

"Is the challenge that bad?" Marvin wondered aloud.

"We don't even know what it is yet." Lucy scoffed.

"Chris, I will take over from here." Marietta said to the host.

"Yep. All yours." Chris said and pressed something on his wrist again. Moments later, he disappeared in blue flickers.

"And now we may begin." Marietta said. "The challenge is to ask questions to your fellow contestants and they will answer it without lying."

"That's it?" Jude blinked. "That's simple."

"You're not thinking hard enough then." Lucy sighed and glared around the room.

"Ask them anything and the other person cannot lie." Cyrus repeated. "It does sound difficult if you're creative enough."

"What happens when that person lies?" Nataline asked Marietta.

"That is a good question. The walls in the room will shrink slowly until the truth has been spoken. As the walls shrink, points will be awarded to the one who asked the question and I will keep track of it." Marietta answered. This earned a few concerned murmurs from the contestants.

"I know I don't have claustrophobia but no way do I wanna get crushed." Valerie gulped.

"Wait, I have a question before we start." Marvin spoke up. "What happens if the person himself does not know he is lying? Like he said an answer he really believes is true even though it's generally a lie."

"Then the walls will not close in." Marietta answered. "I will not punish those who truly believe in something, a lie or not in an outside perspective. I will, however, declare the truth of the matter if it's a lie."

"I see." Marvin went back to his own thoughts, deep in thought about something.

"If there are no more answers, then may we begin?" Marietta asked them. Everyone looked at each other, some are nervous, others looked unfazed. It didn't seem like anyone has any more questions. "I will take that as a yes. Let the challenge commence."

The circuit grid lines suddenly turned blue, and a low whirring sound can be heard. In the center of all the pedestals rose a hologram table, with a thin blue light coming down from the ceiling.

"Everyone is allowed only one question to ask and the winner will be determined by how much the questioner made the walls shrink with his question. Which means if you do not want someone to win, you had best answer honestly." Marietta explained. "Nicholas, as the winner of the last challenge, you may start us off with your question." The AI said to the detective. Nicholas nodded and glanced at everyone.

 **~Confessional~**

 **Nicholas:** I'll get the truth out of certain people one way or another. I have an asset to help me prod and learn more about them while making sure they lose this challenge.

 **Lucy:** *her red eye is glowing in a wrathful way* I better make sure I get an easy ride in this challenge, although I'm sure that detective won't let me go easily.

 **Valerie:** Hopefully everyone just tells the truth so we won't get crushed. It's gonna be slow and painful and I don't want that. *she pouts*

 **~End Confessional~**

Nicholas stared at Lucy with a poker face, then took out a piece of paper from his pocket.

"I will now ask my question." The detective said rather coldly. "Lucy, are you truly the one here right now or is it the other self? The suppressed yet evil side of you?

"What?" Lucy glared at him and her red eye glowed.

"Aha! I knew something was wrong with her!" Tatiana exclaimed, clearly pleased with herself that she wasn't the only one who thought that.

"Hey, what kind of question is that!?" Jude demanded.

"Silence." Marietta said to the marksman. "Lucy will speak now."

"I..." Lucy glanced around at their faces, some curious, some confused, a few are terrified. "Yes! Of course I'm the Lucy you all know! There is only one after all." She suddenly blurted out.

Just then, the room began to shrink slowly. The whirring sound intensified as they all saw the walls slowly close in on them, the neon lights on the circuit grid turning red. Jude looked especially shocked by this and turned back to his girlfriend, who kept her glare on the detective while the latter returned her gaze with a steady look.

"I suppose we know what this means." Nicholas said. "But the challenge requires for you to admit it yourself."

"Shut up!" Lucy retorted. She then looked troubled a bit then glanced at Jude's hurt look. After seeing how much the walls are closing in, she softened her expression and sighed. "Fine, fine! I admit it. I'm not the Lucy you know. In fact, I'm not the Lucy you liked." She admitted while looking at the marksman. "Sorry Jude."

The walls abruptly stopped closing in but did not revert back to its normal state. The lights turned back to blue and the whirring sound stopped.

"And Lucy has told the truth." Marietta announced. A hologram appeared on the table before them and showed the footage of the phobia challenge, specifically what happened during Lucy's part of the challenge. "Lucy Woods was consumed by her other self during the phobia challenge, and now her evil side has completely taken control of her body."

"What?" Jude looked on in disbelief as the footage getting cut down by her evil self.

"She is now more aggressive, more intelligent, and sinister in nature." Marietta listed. "This is truly not the same Lucy that entered the game from day one."

"Is this true?" Jude asked her with a worried look. He tried to reach out and touch her but she instantly turned to face him, her right red eye glowing furiously.

"Yes it's true! I admitted it, didn't I!?" Lucy yelled. "But what of it!? This changes nothing."

"Yes it does." Nicholas said coldly. "It means you are a true criminal and a mastermind behind evil deeds."

"Evil deeds?" Lucy turned her head to face the detective with spite in her voice. "What are evil deeds here in Total Drama? Tell me! Because I played this game like everyone else. I did not cheat, and simply played to the best of my abilities! There is nothing wrong with that!"

"Yeah there is! You're manipulating my friends." Tatiana pouted.

"Shut up! You don't get to have a say in this." Lucy seethed angrily. "I'm not gifted with physical strength, and I'm not a social butterfly either! All I have are my wits. What's wrong with using that?" She glared at the gamer girl.

"Hey calm down." Terrance told her.

"Don't you start with me." Lucy turned towards the techie boy. "You've got a mind to invent assets! I don't. So what's wrong with what I'm doing? I want to win just as much as you all do, yet your moral compass is getting in the way."

"Moral compass? No, this is absolute justice we are talking about." Nicholas interrupted. "My justice dictates that criminals like you should be judged. You should have played with good intent. Or better yet, play the game without a criminal record."

"Um Nicholas?" Nataline tried to say. "That seems kind of harsh."

"The world is harsh, and some of us are trying to make this world a better place for the innocent. This girl here has hindered good and honest progress." Nicholas reasoned. "She does not deserve the million." He said coldly.

"Okay now that's really harsh to say." Felix frowned. "Back off dude."

"I swear I will fu-" Lucy started to say in a wrathful tone when Marietta's voice interjected.

"That will be enough, Lucy. You as well, detective." The AI said. "It is time we move on with the challenge."

"Phew, that was intense. And not in the way I like." Valerie sighed in relief.

"Is i-it over y-y-yet?" Phoebe asked fearfully, apparently crouched down to hide behind her pedestal.

"You got scared by the loud voices huh?" Marvin frowned a bit as he glanced at her.

"T-They were just s-so angry." Phoebe cowered.

"If you keep bickering like this, we will never finish the challenge. Save it for the elimination ceremony." Marietta said. Lucy still seethed with anger but said nothing else. Nicholas looked as calm and composed as always, as if the earlier ordeal didn't happen. Jude didn't know what to say to his girlfriend and didn't want to touch her for fear of her lashing out at him. Nataline slightly glanced at the detective, a bit concerned he was feeling unfazed.

"That was good drama. So who's next?" Cyrus snickered.

"Now it is Marvin's turn to ask a question." Marietta said.

"Oh? So we're doing it clockwise?" Marvin asked.

"That is correct." Marietta affirmed.

 **~Confessional~**

 **Marvin:** I wonder what I should ask. Should I ask a groundbreaking question like Nicholas? Or lay low and be mild about it?

 **Jude:** I still can't believe what just happened. So I'm not dating the Lucy I asked out? That doesn't make any sense! Lucy is Lucy right? But I watched that hologram footage and if that's the truth then I don't know what to believe anymore.

 **Nataline:** Did you see Nicholas after all that? It's as if it was child's play to him. It's impressive that he kept his cool, but it's concerning too. Almost inhuman if you ask me.

 **~End Confessional~**

Marvin thought for a while about the question he will ask while glancing at each of the contestants. Finally, he spoke.

"My question goes to Cassie." Marvin said.

"Me?" Cassie blinked and pointed at herself.

"If ever things will go your way, who will you take with you to the final..." Marvin thought for a bit. "...two?"

"What!?" Cassie gasped. Everyone else started to murmur.

"That's a good question." Terrance said while nodding to himself.

"Such a cunning one." Lucy nodded in approval.

"I wonder what her answer will be." Felix said to himself as he looked at the rancher girl, who had her hat tipped forward and her brow furrowed.

"Well that's, um..." Cassie thought. She glanced at Phoebe for a bit, catching her gaze back at her. "Alright, I'll say it y'all. It's Phoebe." She admitted. The others looked around them, and noticed the walls did not close in.

"That is the truth." Marietta affirmed. "Cassie wanted to keep Phoebe in the final two for two main reasons, one being that she deserves to go that far because of all her efforts and hard work, and the other because she is a close friend."

"Well that's pretty biased." Valerie pouted, a bit hurt by what she said. "I'm trying too you know."

"C-Cassie? Is that true?" Phoebe frowned and looked at the ranch girl anxiously.

"Yes it's true." Cassie frowned. "But I really do want a fair finals with ya." She said to the doll faced girl.

"Yes you are honest with what you said." Marietta agreed. The hologram showed all those times that Phoebe trained by herself and the times where Cassie was there to help her out. "Taking Phoebe to the finals to have a fair match with her is exactly the truth of her words, and a way for Phoebe to see the fruits of all her efforts. A single and clean goal. And yet, wouldn't it be wiser to let go of Phoebe's hand and let her brave the merge with what she's learned?"

"Ya got a point." Cassie admitted softly. "Sorry Phoebe." She apologized to her friend.

"It's a-alright. I really u-understand." Phoebe tried to assure her. "I w-was just surprised, that's a-all."

"This is boring! Such lack of drama." Cyrus complained.

"Hey this is true friendship." Tatiana retorted. "Something you clearly don't have."

"I actually got a lot of friends back home." Cyrus countered. "More cultured than you all."

"I highly doubt that." It was Nataline's turn to retort.

"Shut up." Cyrus glared.

"Let us move on to the next person." Marietta announced. "Nataline, it is your turn to ask."

 **~Confessional~**

 **Cyrus:** Seriously? That was it? All was forgiven just like that? Come on people, this is Total Drama for a reason!

 **Cassie:** I'm glad Phoebe forgave me like that y'all. I was shocked for a moment there, thinkin' we lost our friendship n' all but hey it all ended well and she's a good sport for taking it alright.

 **Phoebe:** At l-least Cassie was honest w-with me about it. And I'm n-not really mad at h-her or anything. I still think she's m-my friend and she's just p-playing the g-game like the rest of u-us. I have to d-do my best too.

 **~End Confessional~**

Nataline glared down at Terrance, who returned the gesture. She adjusted the pin insignia on her dress and then spoke.

"Terrance, have you ever seen the world through our perspective, the rich and arrogant as you like to call us, to have the right to judge us like you do?" Nataline asked coldly.

"I kinda expected this to be asked sooner or later." Felix remarked before glancing at the techie boy, who still maintained his glare towards Nataline.

"If only you knew." Terrance seethed. "Yes, I do know life on the other side of the divide for me to judge you. I learned that the hard way!" He banged his right fist, the one with his psionic gauntlet, down the podium hard.

"Terrance is indeed correct." Marietta announced. "At least in an objective standpoint." The table showed another hologram in a form of short clips from Terrance's school. The techie boy is walking down the hallway with a girl holding his hand and a dude beside him, chatting with excitedly. "It all came down to this one event."

"What i-is that?" Phoebe asked.

"Must be a blast from the past." Valerie exclaimed.

"It wasn't that long ago." Terrance said as he stared down at the hologram table in the center while it played the scene. "Two years ago in fact. I dated a girl in my high school, someone my best friend hooked me up with. It was all fine for quite some time."

"That's sweet." Valerie giggled.

"Most would think, yeah." Terrance admitted. "But there are a few who thought something was off as time went on."

"The cynics are always the best." Cyrus smirked.

"I disagree." Nicholas shook his head. "Please, go ahead with the story."

Terrance continued. "And they were right because something was indeed wrong. Apparently she cheated on me with my best friend." He said bitterly. "I guess she only wanted me around for all the benefits she gets like me doing her homework." He scoffed. The hologram changed the scene when Terrance caught his best friend and girlfriend making out in the gym's bleachers.

"That's h-horrible." Phoebe gasped.

"Watching this scene does make you angry." Jude shook his head as he saw the hologram. Nataline said nothing, her eyes fixated on the hologram scene with her fists clenched.

"She was rich and popular so she got all the support." Terrance glared at Nataline. "It's almost as if she's the victim in all this. I had no allies. Lost my best friend and girlfriend that day. Being treated almost like an outcast, do you know how that feels? You, who live in a nice mansion and always attended to, with everything in her possession? Who can take and take and take with little consequence?" He raised his voice now.

"Now now let's not-" Cassie tried to say.

"It's despicable! There's so much injustice and it's all because of people like you!" Terrance yelled. Nataline remained silent but glared at him still. "I vowed to do what I can to make their lives miserable. I worked in the shadows to manipulate things here and there."

"Sounds illegal." Nicholas said simply.

"You would say that, since you're a defender of the rich and noble." Terrance scoffed.

"You're wrong." Nicholas narrowed his eyes at him.

"That so? Where was your hand of justice everytime a nerd gets cornered and forced to do a jock's homework? Where's your justice when the bullied kid has to fork up his lunch money? And where was your justice when the new girl develops a low self esteem after getting overshadowed by the popular cheerleaders?" Terrance snapped. Nicholas kept silent but kept an even and unflinching gaze towards him.

"Terrance..." Tatiana said sadly. "I'm sorry you feel that way."

"Don't be. Girls can be despicable too. I haven't seen a man manipulate social status like that. It's always the girls to pulls on the charms, pulls out the money, and pulls in the popularity to elevate herself. I'm never falling for that again." Terrance adjusted his glasses.

"Hey now that's just stereotyping." Valerie pouted as she was genuinely hurt.

"Well that's-" Terrance was interrupted when Marietta spoke up.

"That is enough of that." The hologram scene turned off. "Time to move on."

"Hmph." Terrance grunted and crossed his arms.

 **~Confessional~**

 **Nataline:** Alright so he feels some pain and injustice. *she rolls her eyes* And yeah okay I see where he's coming from. I suppose that means I just have to show him that even I have a motive for all this. That he isn't the only one suffering here!

 **Lucy:** Quite a backstory, and honestly now it all makes sense. I see why he's distant towards girls and where his hate on Nataline stems from. The past really does screw us over like that huh.

 **Tatiana:** I didn't know it was this bad. I wish I could so something to cheer him up. We aren't all like that. *she grips her chocobo hat tightly*

 **~End Confessional~**

"Cassie, you may ask your question now." Marietta told the rancher girl.

"Alright." Cassie nodded. "I got one for Cyrus."

"What?" The emo boy raised an eyebrow.

"Ya heard me. I wanna know somethin'." Cassie slightly narrowed her eyes at him and tipped her hat forward. "Why can't ya just accept that Phoebe is doing great in this game and stop gunnin' for her at every turn? Really it's pissing a lot of us off ya know."

"I agree." Valerie nodded. "As her friend and alliance member, it's really getting on my nerves too and I don't like so much stress in my life. It's bad for my beauty." She added with a wink.

Cyrus raised an eyebrow and crossed his arms. "You're asking me why I'm not letting up on getting her eliminated at every chance I get? Really?"

"Just answer the question already." Jude scoffed.

"Well I mentioned this a lot of times in confessionals and even told it to some others but fine I'll repeat it. I don't believe she ever deserves to compete any further than she already has." Cyrus said adamantly. "That's also why I'm still annoyed why Cassie wants to promise final two with her. See everyone here clearly deserves better!"

"And what's makes ya say that anyway? Who gave ya the right to judge how another contestant performs?" Cassie demanded.

"Hey that's more than one question." Felix pointed out but Nataline looked his way and put a finger to her lips, signaling that he should let it be.

"Oh so it's alright if Terrance judges how Nataline plays and alright if Nicholas judges how Lucy plays but when it's me then I can't judge anyone? Wow that's rich. And I'm the discriminating one here." Cyrus sneered.

"I didn't say I condone what they're doing." Cassie frowned.

"But you're allowing it to happen. You aren't doing anything to tip the scales. Well unlike your passive ass, I have the guts to act on my words. I will eliminate Phoebe from this competition, one way or another." The emo boy narrowed his eyes at Phoebe, who eep'd and started to shake a bit.

"Looks like he isn't gonna change anytime soon." Marvin shrugged.

"And that's why I will never accept she's doing great, because I won't ever believe she's playing a better game than the rest of us who are actually trying with no hand to hold them." Cyrus turned his glare towards Cassie, who glared back at him.

"I mean, I don't wanna be that guy who's on his side, but you are kinda always holding her hand at every challenge." Terrance said slowly.

"Might have to agree with you there." Felix nodded solemnly.

"Shut up, you didn't these things happen. You were eliminated early." Lucy rolled her eyes at him. "But yeah he's got a good answer."

"W-What's going on?" Phoebe frowned and looked sad as she saw some people support Cyrus on his answer.

"Don't listen to them, Phoebe. They're just jealous that you're trying hard and doing your best out here." Valerie pouted at the rest of the contestants.

"She's right. You can trust us." Marvin added. This reassured Phoebe a bit.

"Soooo, no hologram to show anything?" Tatiana raised her hand.

"That will not be necessary." Marietta responded. "Let us move on to the next question."

 **~Confessional~**

 **Felix:** Yeah I got eliminated early so I don't really know where Cyrus' accusations are coming from, but I can imagine it must suck for some others to see someone drift through both the team phase and the merge with someone holding their hand. And if that someone is Casse, and by extension her big alliance, then things are definitely looking bad.

 **Nicholas:** Cyrus brings up some interesting points. However, Phoebe is not doing anything bad to him directly or to anyone else which therefore means it will be difficult for him to find supporters in this endeavor.

 **Marvin:** This is looking bad it seems. I saw some people agree with Cyrus' statement, so I guess I'm gonna have to expect people observing how Phoebe plays and her alliance protects her more intently. So much for drifting under the radar.

 **~End Confessional~**

Everyone looked at Phoebe, who looked at them a bit anxiously.

"Hey dear it's your turn." Valerie told her.

"O-Oh yeah. I j-just, haven't thought of w-what to ask yet." Phoebe frowned.

"There's not a single thing you're curious about?" Marvin tilted his head.

"I'm sure there is, y'all. She just gotta think a bit." Cassie said optimistically.

"We don't have all day." Terrance pointed out in a bored tone.

"I h-have one now." Phoebe raised her hand to get everyone's attention.

"Go ahead." Marietta told her.

"M-Marvin, are you cheating o-on me?" The doll faced girl asked her boyfriend meekly. Everyone stood there in silence, blinking at the question that was asked.

"No." Marvin answered simply yet surely. As he expected, the walls did not close in on them.

"Are you for real right now?" Cyrus sighed exasperatedly.

"I mean it's good that you're keeping tabs on your relationship but still..." Valerie trailed off while scratching the back of her head.

"What a boring question." Lucy shook her head.

"Can't you think of something else?" Nataline frowned.

"That won't be allowed I'm afraid." Marietta chimed in. "We must move on to the next contestant."

"I'm s-sorry." Phoebe pouted and looked down shamefully.

"It's alright." Cassie tried to reassure her.

 **~Confessional~**

 **Nataline:** Phoebe is cute and innocent yes, but sometimes that is a bad thing to have. Like in this challenge for example.

 **Phoebe:** I d-don't want to ask anything that w-will put anyone i-in a bad mood. I'm s-sorry if it was b-boring.

 **Lucy:** Damn, someone better ask a good one soon or else Nicholas will win this challenge. So far only his question made the walls shrink and that's not a good sign. *her red eye glows* Oh wait...

 **~End Confessional~**

"Lucy, it is your turn to ask." Marietta told the red-eyed girl.

"Finally." Lucy said softly yet held a sinister tone to it as she grinned.

"Lucy?" Jude looked at her in concern but she didn't pay him any mind. She glared at Nicholas, who returned the stare evenly and calmly. She opened her mouth but shook her head before scanning the other contestants.

"I have a question for Marvin." She said.

"Hmm? Sure." Marvin shrugged, but gulped a bit as he saw how she stared at him.

"Is it true that you have going against your alliance's back and engaging in side alliances?" Lucy asked with a smirk and sinister grin.

"Well that's another waste of a question because Marvin doesn't do that sort of thing." Valerie said confidently then looked at him. "Tell her I'm right."

"Y-Yes, Marvin would n-never do that." Phoebe frowned at Lucy.

"Let him answer it then." Lucy said, sure of herself.

Marvin stayed silent for a bit, but he started sweating and clenching his fist. "No...of course I wouldn't do that." He managed to say. For a moment there was silence, then the mechanical sound started again and the walls closed in.

"W-What?" Phoebe got scared as she saw the walls get nearer and nearer.

"Marvin?" Cassie gasped. "Ya lied to me!?"

"Well well." Lucy started laughing evilly at the events.

"She just threw him under the bus for this challenge?" Cyrus gritted his teeth as he looked back at the walls around them.

"Bold move, Lucy." Nicholas remarked then glanced at Marvin, who looked conflicted.

"At least it's interesting." Terrance grinned a bit.

"Getting crushed is interesting for you?" Nataline scoffed.

"M-Marvin?" Phoebe looked at her boyfriend with a frown, who then sighed and raised his hands up exasperatedly.

"Alright alright I admit it. I do go behind Cassie's alliance and make side alliances!" Marvin exclaimed. The walls abruptly stopped.

Marietta made the hologram show all the instances where Marvin worked together with Cyrus, Lucy, and Desmond in their side alliances, as well as voting their way every now and then.

"I did it all for you, Phoebe." Marvin turn to his girlfriend. "If I didn't, you would have been targeted sooner." He tried to explain.

"B-But how could you do this to o-our friends?" Phoebe raised her voice a bit, tears welling up in her eyes. "W-We trusted you. I t-trusted you."

"I know. I'm sorry." Marvin apologized. "But now I know that I got more competition than I thought." He glanced at Cassie. "She admitted that she'll take you to the final two, and so what about me? What about the rest of us who isn't strong or sociable or smart?"

"Marvin I-" Cassie tried to calm him down.

"I went into these side alliances for us, Phoebe." Marvin told his girlfriend. "Because this big alliance that girl has, it's too much. It'll all be too much sooner or later anyway."

"He brings up a good point." Felix muttered in agreement.

"Yeah but we're still your friends." Valerie pointed out.

"That may be true now, but it won't be when elimination comes. It's bound to happen anyway. I just had to think ahead." Marvin insisted.

"And yet looks like you're going to fail miserably." Lucy cackled.

"Not yet. I still haven't lost yet." Marvin frowned. He looked towards Phoebe for support, but the doll faced girl was just looking down and wiping some tears using her sleeve, not bothering to look at him anymore. "It isn't over yet." He muttered to himself.

"I'm disappointed in ya." Cassie shook her head.

"I'm just playing the game." Marvin defended. "And so are you."

"And now we must move on." Marietta intervened. "Things are starting to get interesting around here."

"Didn't know AI can be amused." Cyrus rolled his eyes.

"Oh I'm not amused. I don't feel any emotion." Marietta told him. "But look around you, it's full of emotion." Lucy grinned almost like a madman. Felix looks to be lost in thought. Tatiana and Valerie both look lost at what just happened. Marvin looked away from Cassie and her alliance and just frowned, while Phoebe still wouldn't look at him and isn't saying anything.

 **~Confessional~**

 **Tatiana:** That looked pretty intense back there. I hope Phoebe and Marvin will be alright. I know it's just a game, but there are times when games destroy relationships. I can definitely relate to that experience. *she scratches the back of her head*

 **Nicholas:** It seems that Lucy will stop at nothing to win this challenge. She was willing to throw someone under the bus and destroy their relationship in order to reach her goals. Such is a criminal's way.

 **~End Confessional~**

After a while, Marietta spoke again. "Jude, you may begin."

"Oh. Right. Got it." Jude cleared his throat. He glanced at Lucy, who looked at him and shrugged. "So I got a question for..." His eyes scanned the crowd, then landed on Cyrus. "You." He pointed at the emo boy.

"Oh good. Another one for me. How nice." Cyrus said disinterestedly. "Whatever."

"Why do you keep bullying some of us here?" Jude asked with a scoff. "Like, always getting in our way and being annoying."

"Sounds like another waste of a question." Cyrus deadpanned.

"Just answer it." Nataline said. "I wanna know too. Even though I have a faint guess as to why."

"Is it because you deserve to be annoyed?" Terrance guessed sarcastically.

"Terrance, that's mean." Tatiana pouted.

"I've always been like this." Cyrus suddenly answered casually. "Cynical, blunt, not impressed by mediocre standards. Not my fault you all get offended easily." He shrugged indifferently.

"You literally go out of your way to annoy us." Jude pointed out. "And won't apologize for it."

"I do apologize, especially when you force me to." Cyrus sneered. "So you use muscle and intimidation to get what you want and somehow I'm the bully?"

"Is that true?" Nicholas turned towards Jude.

"Shut up, it doesn't concern you. He was getting in my girlfriend's personal space earlier." Jude defended.

"That park isn't her personal space. It's for everyone to use and hang out." Cyrus pointed out. "You both decided it was your area, not me. And that's not fair. You don't own the place."

"Wait, they made the park off limits?" Marvin tilted his head.

"Oh you can visit alright." Cyrus rolled his eyes. "Just don't let bid bad Jude here catch you and make you apologize upon stepping on holy ground." He added with sarcasm.

"Hey that's uncalled for!" Jude shouted.

"And yet we cannot rule out his story." Nicholas crossed his arms and gazed at both Jude and Lucy. "I don't imagine it's beyond your capabilities as well."

"Of course." Lucy 'tsked' under her breath.

"Jude, why would you do that?" Nataline shook her head in disapproval.

"I don't have to answer that." Jude said quickly and looked away.

"All that aside, it is true that it is in Cyrus' nature to be all that." Marietta interjected.

"Show them a hologram clip or whatever about what happened at the park." Cyrus demanded.

"That will not be necessary, as it does not directly relate to Jude's question." Marietta denied.

"Damn it." Cyrus muttered under his breath.

 **~Confessional~**

 **Nataline:** I knew Jude was physically strong, but to think he uses it in that manner is simply unheard of. We may not talk much anymore ever since that...incident in pre-merge, but I do hope he isn't resorting to a more reckless and aggressive approach.

 **Jude:** I imagined that question to have gone better in my head honestly.

 **Lucy:** I don't care if Jude wastes his questions like that. It's a good thing for me because that means I'm that much closer at winning immunity, which I need if I want to get the jump on that detective. *her red eye glows angrily*

 **~End Confessional~**

"Felix, you may ask your question." Marietta told the prankster.

"Oh cool it's my turn now." Felix rubbed his hands together and smiled as he looked around at everyone. "Um, on second thought, can I sit this one out?"

"You may not." Marietta answered him.

"But I haven't thought of anything yet." Felix pouted.

"Then think fast already." Cassie said.

"Yeah dude let's get the ball rolling." Jude added.

"Okay okay, geez." Felix grumbled and finally thought of a question. "Then I'll ask Valerie!" He said confidently.

"Really?" Valerie giggled and batted her eyelashes at him. "I'll do my best to answer honestly."

"Since you're so good at flirting, that means you probably worked your way around guys often." Felix started to say. "So I'm gonna ask, how many guys did you do it with already?" He exclaimed while pointing a finger at her.

"...Really?" Valerie blinked. She then cleared her throat and regained her composure. "I mean I can answer that. Yeah. Totally."

"W-Was that question r-really necessary?" Phoebe frowned. "Isn't t-that invading p-privacy?"

"Knowing her, she'll answer confidently." Marvin guessed. But when he looked at Valerie, the flirt seemed to be biting her lip. "I think."

"I totally did it with lots of guys, like maybe 8!" Valerie suddenly blurted out. At that answer, the walls started closing in again.

"This is concerning." Nataline muttered.

"Something is amiss." Nicholas thought to himself, unfazed by the walls drawing nearer and nearer.

"Alright alright fine! Just 2!" Valerie tried to say, but the walls kept closing in.

"Ya gonna admit the truth now?" Cassie asked her friend as she worriedly glanced back where the wall was getting closing to the contestants' backs now.

"One!" Valerie said again. But the walls didn't let up. "Okay I admit it, it's zero! Please stop." She begged and frowned. The walls stopped sounding and ceased closing in on them, and they breathed a sigh of relief.

"Honestly I didn't think Felix would get any points in this challenge. No offense dude." Terrance told the prankster.

"Hey I can try when I want to." Felix pointed out. "Although yeah I wasn't expecting that either."

"There will be no need for any holographic display." Marietta stated. "And I will affirm that despite Valerie's attempts at flirting she has never truly slept with anyone."

"That's true." Valerie sighed and looked downcast. "Nobody takes my flirting skill seriously."

"You call that flirting skill?" Cyrus scoffed. Valerie glared at him.

"Mark my words, someday it will work. I just know it." The flirt huffed and looked away.

"I think y-you're really p-pretty, Valerie." Phoebe said to comfort her. "You'll f-find someone s-someday."

"Aw thanks sweetie." Valerie giggled and smiled at the doll faced girl.

"Just try not to get too carried away, ya hear?" Cassie smirked and winked at her.

"No promises here." Valerie giggled. "That actually felt good to let out. Still not happy that I haven't made progress, but it's something."

"Indeed." Marietta said. "Felix has been awarded points for his question, and there are only a few people left who have yet to ask. Let us proceed."

 **~Confessional~**

 **Valerie:** I got such kind and sweet friends. *she giggles* But I was serious about my promise. I'll definitely make my flirting skills work someday.

 **Cassie:** Valerie is a good gal and I don't know if it's a good idea for her to keep flirtin' like that, I mighty think she'll find someone soon ya know.

 **Felix:** Yay I got points! *he beams*

 **~End Confessional~**

"I believe that it is Cyrus' turn now." Nicholas deduced.

"Indeed it is." Marietta affirmed. "You may proceed, Cedric."

"Don't call me that." Cyrus groaned. "I got a question for you, Jude." He suddenly smirks.

"There's that annoying expression." Jude shakes his head. "Well what is it?"

"What is your greatest weakness you have as a person?" Cyrus said with a proud smile on his face.

"What!?" Jude exclaimed in surprise.

"Interesting." Lucy nodded in amusement.

"Whose side are you on?" Jude pouted at his girlfriend.

"I admit that is a good question." Nicholas admitted.

"Dude, what are you gonna say?" Felix turned towards the marksman, who narrowed his eyes at Cyrus.

"Screw you." Jude said to the emo boy.

"Was that the answer?" Cyrus smirked. Just then, the walls started to slowly close in once more.

"I swear Jude just say it!" Valerie exclaimed in fear as the wall pressed up against her back and she moved forward just to avoid it.

"It can't be that bad right!?" Nataline frowned as she moved forward to avoid the walls as well.

"I'm not academically smart!" Jude suddenly blurted out. The walls suddenly halted.

"That's it?" Terrance scowled. "You delayed your answer for that?"

"It's not easy to admit you know." Jude pointed out. "Not everyone can go make inventions like you."

"I do believe it can be used as a weakness as well." Nicholas said after some thought. "It might prove valuable information to the ones who are out to get Jude to fail."

"Thanks for that, captain obvious." Jude rolled his eyes.

"Jude has said his answer and is proven to be correct. He never did excel in academics, and made up for it in athletics and street smarts." Marietta said.

"Good to know." Marvin said softly.

"Shall we proceed?" Marietta asked the others and they nodded in response. Cyrus smirked while looking at Jude, who seemed to be avoiding his gaze.

 **~Confessional~**

 **Cyrus:** Looks like I got him this round. Now everyone knows his weakness. You're welcome. *he smirks proudly*

 **Terrance:** I still don't really get it. So he doesn't pass his subjects with flying colors. Are we judging that as a weakness now?

 **Marvin:** Not being academically smart would mean he won't do well in mental challenges. And these challenges are best fit for the merge. I wonder if it can be exploited someday.

 **~End Confessional~**

"Tatiana Quinn Fitzgerald, you may ask your question." Marietta regarded the gamer girl.

"Hey you forgot one thing to announce." Tatiana pouted and pointed at her chocobo hat.

"Very well." The AI conceded. "Also known as the 'Chocobo Slayer'."

"That's more like it." Tatiana put her hands on her hips happily.

"Remind me again why you're proud of that." Felix chuckled.

"Because it's cool." Tatiana insisted.

"What?" Terrance made a face. "No it's-"

"I thought of one already!" The gamer girl exclaimed. "I got one for Nataline."

"Yes, Tatiana?" Nataline tilted her head at the other girl, a bit confused as to why she was chosen.

"I'm a bit surprised she picked her." Valerie noted, then glanced a bit at Terrance who didn't notice her gaze.

"Who do you honestly think are four people that have good chances to win Total Drama excluding yourself?" Tatiana grinned widely. Nataline blinked at her, not believing that was what she asked.

"Excellent question." Lucy grinned and laughed.

"No one asked you." Tatiana huffed. "I asked it so others can feel good about their chances in the game."

"I guess ya can see it like that." Cassie scratched the back of her head and tipped her hat backward. "Maybe."

"If you wanna be positive about it sure." Felix shrugged.

"I think i-it's a good q-question." Phoebe smiled optimistically.

"Aw, thanks Phoebe." Tatiana smiled at the doll faced girl. Nataline cleared her throat.

"I suppose I'd rather be honest about this." Nataline said slowly.

"Can't wait." Cyrus crossed his arms. "Obviously I'm not on the list."

Ignoring Cyrus, Nataline took a deep breath before speaking. "The other four people who I think have a good chance of winning this entire thing are Lucy, Terrance, Nicholas, and Marvin."

"Naturally." Lucy smirked and her red eye glowed a bit.

"Yes I suppose it is right for me to be included in that list." Nicholas nodded in understanding.

"Totally knew I was in that list too." Terrance bragged.

"Wait me?" Marvin blinked.

"Can you elaborate further?" Tatiana cheerily asked. Nataline shook her head.

"I answered the question. That should be enough." The lady frowned a bit.

"Then I will reveal why." Marietta mused as she interjected. "To make it more dramatic for you people."

"M-More d-dramatic?" Phoebe frowned.

"These answers Nataline gave are definitely stemmed from her own opinion, and I have analyzed and understood as to why." Marietta started. "For Lucy, it is because Nataline is concerned regarding the latter's immense strategic platform. She believes Lucy is a master manipulator who may potential win the game using wits and deceit."

"That had to be revealed." Lucy muttered under her breath, clearly not amused with all this.

"Nataline fears Nicholas as a player and as a person in general." Marietta continued. "He is strong, smart, and can be sociable and reasonable. She believes these are the traits of a perfect power player and therefore can win Total Drama."

"Fair points." Nicholas glanced at Nataline, who just sheepishly shrugged and smiled at him.

"Terrance is a great inventor, and has always made himself assets using resources from the world." Marietta said. "Nataline believes that will be his key advantage in winning the game, and therefore she does her best to eliminate him at every chance she has."

"That's pretty obvious." Terrance glared at Nataline. "Too bad you won't get rid of me that easily."

"I will in due time." Nataline said confidently.

"And lastly, Marvin." Marietta said. This made Marvin pay attention more and he glanced at Nataline, to which she caught him staring. "According to Nataline's way of thought, Marvin was only a contender just now replacing Cassie in the spot to be honest."

"Oh so it was s'pposed to be me?" Cassie pointed at herself.

"Indeed. However, this challenge and Marvin's confessions have led her to change that belief. Marvin's side alliances and cunning way to play might just be what he needs to win the game, assuming he has the heart for it." Marietta finished. Nataline sighed heavily.

"Well that all just got out." Nataline shook her head.

"I thought it was a positive question I swear." Tatiana frowned.

"And yet it only seemed to fan the flames and make everyone second guess on their priorities." Nicholas said as he observed everyone's cautious reactions towards each other, especially on the four people that was mentioned.

"At least it wasn't completely boring." Cyrus smirked.

"Please be quiet." Valerie said in annoyance.

 **~Confessional~**

 **Nataline:** On one hand, it bothers me how much Marietta knows about what we know. On the other hand, Nicholas is right. It might stir up the votes for tonight. Hopefully I can plan my strategy from there.

 **Cassie:** I'm happy that I ain't included in the list but y'all can bet that I'll be doing some thinking come elimination time.

 **Tatiana:** Why does it feel like tensions just got higher? I really thought it would make everyone loosen up and feel good about themselves you know. *she frowns in confusion*

 **~End Confessional~**

"Terrance, you may ask your question now." Marietta told the techie boy.

"Well I know who he will ask." Nataline snarked.

"Shut up." Terrance rolled his eyes. "But yeah this question is for you."

"I wonder if he's just gonna return the question she asked." Marvin thought aloud.

"I h-hope not. It's n-not a positive question." Phoebe frowned.

"That's kinda the point of this game sadly." Jude shrugged and sighed.

"You're always so headstrong and competitive and it annoys me that you're trying so hard despite you being already rich." Terrance pointed and accusatory finger at Nataline. "So why? Why try so hard at this game when you were basically born with a silver spoon?" He demanded.

"Her motives huh." Cassie tipped her hat forward.

"I mean I'm curious about that too but I don't mind if Nataline compete." Valerie shrugged.

"E-Everyone should have a r-right to compete." Phoebe agreed. "T-Those that fall under the rules t-to join at least." She added sheepishly.

"Maybe she's secretly a hardcore gamer too!" Tatiana cheered and pumped her fist in the air.

"Or her family recently got broke so she's here to make ends meet." Cyrus chimed in. "Could be a good story to write."

"Don't make fun of money problems like that." Jude warned and clenched his fist towards the emo boy.

"Silence, everyone." Marietta spoke in a slightly raised voice, prompting them to immediately stop. "Let Nataline speak for herself."

"Speak for myself?" Nataline repeated softly to herself. "Alright I'll be honest about it. I'd hate to give that boy even a single point." She scoffed at Terrance. "I try hard at this game because everything you said about me, silver spoon and all, is all wrong!"

"Whoa so what if it is a money problem?" Felix gasped.

"I wouldn't go that far." Nataline pointed out with a frowned. "But I did live a simple life before. At least, before things turned bad." As if on cue, Marietta played a hologram footage. It showed a young Nataline crying while sitting on the ground, then an older man came into view and went to place a hand on her shoulder. "My father had to take me to Belarus to live with him in his estate with all his riches, and I thought things would look up for me there."

"It kinda should." Jude muttered under his breath.

The hologram now showed an older looking woman yelling and scolding at a teenage Nataline, who just frowned and tried to fight back tears before running down to the estate's basement. "I was abused and hated by my step mother, who said I could never have any right to inherit my father's fortune. Why? Because...because..." She took a deep breath. "Forget it. It isn't necessary."

"Aw." Cyrus sighed. "That might have been good."

"Will ya just shut yer trap?" Cassie told him in an annoying tone.

"I joined Total Drama to prove I'm not useless! To prove I'm not a burden!" Nataline blurted out, all while glaring at Terrance. "To prove I deserve that inheritance and my title as Lady Nataline Amity Louise!" She sharply inhaled and looked down at the hologram platform, which changed scene to something that resembles a forest and with a young Nataline and a servant boy strolling there.

"What is that?" Tatiana asked no one in particular.

"Because I doubted myself when my friend had to die to wake me up from my little fantasy of ever living a normal life." Nataline spat, looking on sorrowfully as the scene showed a couple of burly men drag the boy away and with the younger Nataline unable to do anything to help.

"Nataline..." Nicholas looked at his friend with concern in his voice.

Nataline looked towards Terrance and narrowed her eyes. "People have died and sacrificed what was important to them for my sake. Meanwhile some girl dumped you and now you have a hate boner of rich people and women."

"Ooooohhh." Felix a couple of short dabs which some of them saw and couldn't help but smirk and chuckle a bit. This made Terrance uneasy with the reactions and just grunted to himself.

"Hey Felix, that was rude." Valerie scolded but smiled despite herself.

"Gotta admit, it was a good bar." Felix grinned.

"Someone was sharing something emotional." Tatiana pointed out.

"Still a good bar to drop. Reality check right there." Felix defended.

"It did give us a better understanding of yourself and your motives." Nicholas agreed. "Thank you for sharing it."

"If I didn't, we would all get crushed." Nataline shook her head.

"Y-Yes, so thank you f-for being b-brave." Phoebe sighed in relief.

"Yes, Nataline has gone through a lot and therefore joined the competition to prove her worth." Marietta chimed in.

"It changes nothing." Terrance crossed his arms. "Having a backstory like isn't going to get you a million dollars."

"For once I agree." Nataline spat back. "But only because I intend to win with my skills and talents, not some backstory. You should be thankful I didn't lie at all!"

"That is enough of that you two." Marietta intervened. "Let us move on to the last question."

 **~Confessional~**

 **Terrance:** That didn't go as I expected it to, and her answer seemed to not really affect anyone to go against her. Damn it, there has to be a way. I'm...running out of time.

 **Jude:** Wow, that's quite the backstory. I never thought I'd think anyone would be unhappy when they got so much money, but there definitely is more than meets the eye. So all her talk of degrading commoners, was that a negative trait she picked up back home too?

 **Nicholas:** I did deduce she was going through something, hence her competitive nature and determined state even in unnatural circumstances. However, I was not truly prepared to hear this. I suppose injustice still reaches far and wide in this world.

 **~End Confessional~**

"Valerie, you may ask your question. The last question for this challenge." Marietta announced. This made everyone turn towards Valerie.

"Oh wow, pressure is kinda real in here." Valerie blinked, a bit taken aback.

"Ya can do it." Cassie gave her a thumbs-up.

"Who w-will you a-ask?" Phoebe tilted her head.

"Maybe I'll go ask the good detective over there." Valerie winked in Nicholas' direction.

"'Good' is stretching it." Lucy muttered under her breath with a snarl.

"Have you done 'it' with the criminals you interrogate?" Valerie giggled mischievously.

"Really Valerie?" Cassie facepalmed.

"W-What kind of q-question is that?" Phoebe frowned.

"Can you answer that without lying?" Nataline asked Nicholas, who just nodded.

"Of course. I do not intend to lie regarding this." Nicholas told her. "The answer is yes." There was silence.

"Ooohkay then." Felix rubbed his hands together. "Are we done yet?"

"No hologram vid?" Valerie pouted.

"Valerie!" Cassie scolded.

"Okay okay I won't push it." The flirt giggled.

"There will be no hologram scene, for it is not proper according to the show's ratings." Marietta mused. "That being said, the challenge is officially over. And the one who won immunity is none other than Lucy."

"Of course." Lucy grinned evilly.

"Now I wonder if you'll ever be a good host." Cyrus scoffed. "At least Chris does better endings."

"Indeed he does, which is why he is the host and I am merely acting as your instructor." Marietta told him.

"Wow she did not take offense to that remark." Jude blinked in surprise.

"It's an AI. It's also not a 'she'." Terrance pointed out.

"Maybe Marietta wants to be identified as a 'she'." Tatiana mused.

"I do not care what you say about me." Marietta said simply. "Now, you are dismissed." The grid lines in the walls glowed yellow and reverted back to the original room size, giving the others more room to breathe and move around.

"F-Finally it's over." Phoebe breathed a sigh of relief.

A portal opened up on the same place where they came in from. Everyone looked towards its direction and started heading back when they heard a slow slashing and scraping noise. Looking back, they saw Terrance trying to use his psionic blade to slice off his emblem from its stand in the podium. He stopped and glanced at them.

"What?" He asked. He then glanced back at what he was doing then back at the others, who all had plastered smiles on their faces with a pleading look. With he sigh, he shooed them away. "Alright alright I get it. Just wait for me on the other side. Sheesh."

"Yay! You're the best!" Valerie chirped as she bounded for the portal.

"Thanks dude." Felix smiled and joined the others through the portal as well.

 **~Confessional~**

 **Terrance:** *is carrying everyone's emblems and is holding it using his hoodie* These things are heavier than it looks. And I swear, why would they want something that can only be enjoyed here in this virtual world? It's not like you can take these home or anything.

 **Nicholas:** Lucy is immune? An unexpected development but I can work around this.

 **~End Confessional~**

* * *

 **(Behind-The-Scenes Footage)**

Terrance was the last to emerge from the portal, carrying the emblems with him. The other contestants were just hanging around waiting for him and watching out for Chris. A few cameras were around to capture this scene unfold.

"Cool you got them all!" Tatiana cheered.

"Of course, you are a reasonable man, yes?" Nicholas walked towards Terrance first and the latter raised an eyebrow.

"What do you mean by that?" The techie boy asked cautiously.

"Though it may be a virtual item, I know you will not part with it unless something benefits you." Nicholas said evenly. "And I may not promise anything that will benefit you in this competition."

"Then I guess you can't get yours, detective." Lucy smirked, her red eye glowing lightly.

"You're wrong. I will offer something relating back to the real world." Nicholas proposed. "You have my word that should any one person from your school bully you when school resumes, I will have them arrested, tried, and convicted."

"What!?" Terrance exclaimed and blinked in surprise.

"You can't promise something like that dude." Jude pointed out skeptically.

"I am a Blackburn. We are the law." Nicholas said authoritatively and confidently. "Now, my emblem?" He held out his hand.

"Well...um, actually it's a good deal." Terrance admitted and handed him his emblem. Nicholas took it and shook Terrance's still outstretched hand.

"Wise choice." Nicholas gave a small smile before backing off to let the others get theirs. Lucy immediately went in next.

"Whatever. So he can promise you your classmates get criminal records." Lucy rolled her eyes as she said that. "Give me mine, and those bullies? They'll be gone."

"Gone?" Nicholas raised an eyebrow curiously.

"As in you'll never see them again." Lucy cackled. "That's a better deal right? Maybe I should pay Kelly a visit after all this." She winked at him and held out her hand.

"...Yeah I'm taking this offer too." Terrance shrugged with a smirk as he gave her the emblem. "At least let her disappear for the starting school week."

"Done." Lucy took it and went back to the others.

Cassie went up to Terrance and tipped her hat forward in greeting. "Howdy."

"So what can you offer me?" Terrance raised his eyebrow at her. Cassie thought for a bit.

"I ain't got a clue actually." Cassie admitted. "Perhaps if ya want, I can give up my ol' sawed off shotgun I got back home."

"You're giving me a gun?" Terrance blinked.

"Got a family member who got a license?" Cassie asked.

"Yeah my uncle." Terrance shrugged.

"Then ya can give that as a birthday gift or somethin'." Cassie grinned. "I heard it's great for collectin' too. But my family ain't too big on it so ya can have it. Better than it collecting dust."

"I guess it's something." Terrance considered it. "Plus I've never really seen or held one in real life. Deal." He gave her the emblem to which the rancher girl took it gratefully and went back to join her alliance.

"Give me mine and I'll give you a masterpiece when we get back." Cyrus smirked proudly as he went up to the techie boy.

"You mean some sort of emo art?" Terrance deadpanned.

"It's called gothic art and I'll have you know I'm quite good at making paintings of that genre." Cyrus insisted.

"You? Do gothic art?" Nataline chimed in. "That's rich."

"Shut up, like you can do it better than I." Cyrus scoffed. "I'll prove it when we get back. If you don't like it then burn it or whatever. I know not many people can appreciate a masterpiece when they see one."

"Well it's whatever I guess." Terrance sighed and gave Cyrus his emblem.

"The raven. Edgar Allan Poe would be proud of me." Cyrus mused to himself as he went back.

"Terrance!" Tatiana waved at him as she approached. "I have the best thing to give you that you won't say no to!" She beamed.

"Someone's pretty confident about that. Although Lucy's offer is still the best in my opinion." Terrance smirked.

"Oh yeah, well she didn't offer a Steam Wallet Code." Tatiana smirked proudly. "Which is exactly what I'm offering."

"Wait, seriously?" Terrance looked at her, surprised.

"Yeah and every gamer wants it so it's a really great deal!" Tatiana laughed.

"I guess so." Terrance thought for a bit. "How much?"

"Depends on how much money I have in my wallet." Tatiana shrugged. "I kinda forgot how much I brought with me for the trip."

"Fair enough. Just so long as I can afford a game or two with it." Terrance said and tossed Tatiana's emblem to her.

"Yay! Thanks so much!" Tatiana kissed him on the cheek and skipped off. Terrance felt flustered and pointed after her.

"H-Hey that was uncalled for." The techie boy sputtered out. He suddenly felt another kiss on his cheek as well as someone snatch an emblem from the pile. He turned around to see Valerie waving flirtatiously at him.

"And that's my offer." The flirt giggled and went back to the others.

"Wow really?" Terrance just deadpanned at that.

Jude and Felix went up to Terrance next. "Dude you just got kissed on the cheek by two cute girls. Why you complaining?" Felix smirked.

"Remember? The challenge?" Jude reminded him.

"Oh. Right." Felix remembered and scratched the back of his head.

"It's fine. Not like Valerie has anything better to offer on her behalf." Terrance sighed and shook his head. "So what about you two?"

"Alright you see, here's a good proposition for you." Felix wrapped his arm around his shoulder. "I'm a seasoned prankster and all seasoned pranksters know that they need the best tools to work with that fit in any kind of situation."

"Yeah...?" Terrance nodded slowly, unsure of where this conversation is headed.

"Tell you what, I'll give you a box of some of my finest tools for pranks and you can use them on all your school bullies. I'll even give tips on how to use it best when we get outta here. We got a deal?" Felix grinned and held out his hand for a shake. After some thought, Terrance smiled as well and shook his hand before giving him the emblem.

"It's a pretty creative deal. I like it." Terrance grinned and Felix nodded before he joined the others again, which prompted Jude to take his turn.

"So I just realized that I don't think I can offer anything that you might actually like." Jude said with a nervous chuckle.

"Really?" Terrance tilted his head.

"I mean you like these tech stuff and probably games too since I overheard what Tatiana said to you and even though I'm kind of a gamer myself I don't have anything of value." Jude admitted.

"What do you play anyway?" Terrance asked him.

"Shooter games mostly." Jude said confidently as he pointed at himself. "Like Call of Duty and Battlefield and lately I play Rainbow Six Siege. You play those too?"

"Yeah a bit. Not too invested though. It's hard to find good teammates." Terrance shrugged with a sigh. "Too many toxic people out there."

"Hey maybe I can offer that instead." Jude said with a side smirk. "I'll introduce you to some of my mates who I play with. They're great guys and pretty good too. We made it to the local tournament recently, snagged ourselves 1st place too." He bragged.

"Whoa, you really think it'll be alright?" Terrance asked.

"Sure why not? We don't normally take anyone under our wing but I can make a few exemptions. Plus I want us all to at least keep in touch. Maybe I can go invite Felix and Tatiana to join in too." Jude thought aloud. Terrance tossed him the emblem.

"You got yourself a deal. And a teammate." Terrance laughed and so did Jude. The marksman went on back to join the others.

"Hey man." Marvin greeted Terrance as he walked up to him next. "Guess I'm up next huh."

Nataline came up from behind him. "Hey I wanted to go first." She pouted.

"Well that's too bad." Marvin told her. "Now let me think." He tapped his finger on his chin in thought, thinking of what to offer to Terrance in exchange for the emblem he wanted. A moment passed. Then two. Then three.

"How long is this going to take?" Nataline asked while tapping her foot impatiently.

"Just a moment." Marvin stated.

"Dude its been how many 'moments' now." Terrance pointed out, clearly looked bored.

"I know but- oh hey I got it!" Marvin suddenly exclaimed. "I can give you this old music box I have back home. I find it creepy and so does the local pawnshop."

"And what makes you think I'll want it then?" Terrance blinked in shock. "No way man."

"It's like treating him like a pawnshop." Nataline chuckled. "Why not give it to Phoebe?"

"Why would I give her something that creepy?" Marvin asked back.

"Well doesn't matter. Go think of something else." Terrance said and shooed him away. Marvin grumbled but went back to think of something.

"Finally it's my turn." Nataline straightened out her dress and faced Terrance. "I'm offering something simple, as it is not really a service of any kind. I offer a bottle of Krambambula."

"A what?" Terrance scratched the back of his head, confused.

"It's my country's national drink. I'm sure you've never had it before." Nataline said simply. "It's alcoholic too. I can have a bottle delivered to your house, but I understand if you cannot hold your alcohol well. I can always think of something else." She mused with a devious smirk.

"No no, I'll take it." Terrance huffed and gave her her emblem. "There now go already."

Phoebe and Valerie went to approach Terrance, the former looking a bit nervous.

"Come on just ask nicely." Valerie encouraged the doll faced girl.

"He c-can't possibly just g-give it like that." Phoebe frowned.

"Then kiss him on the cheek like I did." The flirt suggested with a wink.

"E-Eeek! N-No way it's too embarrassing." Phoebe's face become flustered at her suggestion. Terrance and Nataline shared a look and shrugged as the two girls approached them.

"Heya again! Phoebe wants her emblem." Valerie announced as she nudged the doll faced girl forward.

"Um h-hello." Phoebe greeted meekly and shyly. She then suddenly held out both her hands. "M-May I please have my emblem?"

"Wow that was forward." Valerie blinked.

"Phoebe sweetie you're supposed to offer something in return." Nataline told her. "It's a give and take."

"O-Oh. Um..." Phoebe checked her dress pockets but found nothing there. "I don't have a-anything on me." She said sadly.

"Then just kiss him on the cheek." Valerie suggested with a giggle.

"What? No, you can't tell her to do that." Nataline shook her head in disagreement.

"B-But I have nothing e-else to offer." Phoebe frowned more yet still held out her hands. "I s-still want it. S-So please?" She asked nicely and solemnly to Terrance.

"Well...uh." Terrance didn't know what to say. He glanced at Nataline and at Valerie who both took pity on Phoebe and were looking at him expectantly. "You know what? Here." He handed her the emblem and smiled. "I don't need anything in return."

"R-Really?" Phoebe started to smile as she accepted it.

"Yeah. It's free. Just for you." Terrance insisted with a nod.

"T-Thank you so m-much! I w-won't forget this!" Phoebe bowed and happily went on her way. Valerie stayed behind and beamed at Terrance.

"Hey that was real nice of you." The flirt told him.

"Well she felt so sad. Didn't wanna look like a bad person." Terrance sighed.

"And just for that, I'll up my offer." Valerie winked. "If you want, you and me can have some one-on-one later tonight and maybe even-"

"Alright that's it. Time to go." Nataline suddenly announcement and dragged Valerie away from him. Terrance's face became flustered as he caught on to what Valerie was suggesting but just shook his head and went on to join Lucy and Jude away from the rest.

* * *

Chris had gathered everyone inside the conservatory for some announcements.

"Alright so as always, the elimination ceremony happens tonight." Chris started.

"What else is new?" Cyrus sighed in boredom.

"But," Chris said, irritated by the sudden interruption. "You only got twenty minutes to discuss the vote."

"What?" Lucy's red eye glowed in surprise.

"But that's not right." Nataline frowned. "We need more time to think."

"Especially with today's challenge opening up new perspectives." Nicholas agreed.

"Sorry guys, you all took too long in there." Chris shrugged. "That, and my massage therapist was late so that's why I came back late."

"This sucks." Felix shook his head.

"We'll manage, y'all." Cassie said to her alliance.

"Easy for them to say." Marvin muttered under his breath.

"Well that's all for the announcement!" Chris exclaimed and pressed something on his wrist. "Have fun strategizing." He laughed and disappeared in blue sparks.

"Guess we should just go." Terrance grumbled and went out of the conservatory, with Lucy and Jude following him.

"Wait I wanna come too!" Felix said and jogged up to follow the three.

"Come on, Tatiana." Nataline called out to the gamer as she and Nicholas started heading out as well.

"Coming!" Tatiana hummed and followed them.

"Y'all wanna talk about the vote here?" Cassie asked her alliance.

"Sure." Valerie shrugged.

"O-Okay." Phoebe said softly. "But d-do we include M-Marvin?" She glanced at her boyfriend, who stood off at the far end with Cyrus.

"Sorry darling but I don't think he'll talk to us just yet." Valerie placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. "The challenge kinda shook things up in a not so sexy way."

"I u-understand." Phoebe frowned sadly but nodded. Cassie glanced at her then at Marvin, narrowing her eyes at the boy.

 **~Confessional~**

 **Cassie:** I'm startin' to doubt Marvin more than ever. It's high time that boy take the high road. It's best for our alliance's game right now as I ain't risking anyone betraying us.

 **~End Confessional~**

* * *

Nicholas, Tatiana, and Nataline met up in the geyser zone to talk about their votes.

"I revealed Lucy for what she truly is back in the challenge." Nicholas stated. "The logical course of action would be to eliminate her now, yet she has won immunity."

"It wasn't the best way to announce who the winner was, to be honest." Tatiana said. "I've heard better announcements."

"Agreed." Nataline nodded. "Hopefully we don't get her as an instructor again. The way she knows all about us is kind of creepy and weird."

"Indeed. But that is what she was programmed to have. The curse of knowledge." Nicholas looked towards the geysers as he saw some shot out from the ground. "Back to the topic at hand, who do we eliminate?"

"Do you want to get Cassie's insight on this?" Nataline asked him.

"I have a fairly good idea on who they'll vote for." Nicholas told her. "I'm almost positive she and her alliance will vote for Marvin tonight."

"Wait does that include Phoebe? Because I don't think it includes Phoebe." Tatiana interjected.

"Even if Phoebe strays from the vote, who's to say that Cassie won't ask the other contestants to vote her way?" Nicholas said evenly. "I believe it is highly possible and therefore we should go ahead and inform her of how we vote. We should remain in her good graces for now."

"Or we can join the underdog team and vote alongside Marvin!" Tatiana exclaimed.

"I suspect he'll vote for Cassie tonight." Nicholas thought aloud. "Although, do we risk it? Marvin doing side alliances can be tricky business to handle. Cassie is straight forward. We can deal with her next time."

"Both options have good points to them." Nataline noted. "We should plan this carefully."

"But we don't have time." Tatiana pointed out. "I know! I'll go to talk to whoever I can find. See who they're voting." And with that, she ran off on her own.

"Wait, we don't know if we can meet again later!" Nataline called out to her but it was no use as the gamer girl kept running.

"I stand by my proposition." Nicholas stated to her. "I believe Marvin should be the one to go tonight."

"I'll vote that way too. As much as every fiber of my being wants to keep voting for Terrance." Nataline said through gritted teeth.

"I know the challenge took a toll on you, but we must remain logical about this. That being said, I doubt all of us here would be in their right mindset." Nicholas sighed.

 **~Confessional~**

 **Nataline:** I'll get rid of Terrance next time. I still got a game to play and it needs me to take out the other threats.

 **~End Confessional~**

Lucy, Terrance, Jude, and Felix all met up at the eerie park.

"We have to vote for Nicholas tonight." Lucy seethed with a clenched fist. "It'll work. It has to."

"Yeah...of course." Jude said uneasily.

"You don't sound that optimistic. Is it our chances you're worried about?" Lucy asked as she slowly turned to face the marksman. Jude stared at her and noticed her glowing red eye then looked away immediately.

"It's nothing. I know we got this." Jude said with no enthusiasm as he went over to stand on the other side and look at the roots.

"Pretty sure the challenge got to him." Felix whispered to Lucy.

"I can see that." Lucy sighed in annoyance. "And that's that. Jude can be sorely emotional and that's a problem on my end. But he won't stray from the vote."

"You aren't gonna talk to him about it?" Felix tilted his head.

"Tomorrow. Tonight we have to focus. Sorry we can't all be carefree like you, Felix." Lucy shook her head and sat down on the bench.

"Hey I'm trying too you know. It sucks for me that Desmond and Arnold had to go home, and that Marvin is a traitor." Felix pointed out with a frown.

"And all we can do is deal with it." Lucy narrowed her eyes at him. "That's how it's always been." Terrance stared at her then at Felix before sighing to himself and leaving the park.

"Where you going, dude?" Felix asked the techie boy.

"Just gonna take a walk. And I wanna be alone." Terrance said with emphasis on the second sentence as he walked off.

"Well I guess I should just go too." Felix chuckled a bit, noticing the tense air all around.

He left the park and wandered a bit along the street where he found Tatiana this morning. The car repair shop's light aren't on and he kept on walking while wondering what else to do.

"Felix? Is that you?" Tatiana called out as she turned a corner and saw the prankster. "Hey it is you!"

"Yeah, just wanted a bit of a breather." Felix smiled a bit as she approached him. "Things are a bit intense back at the park."

"Really?" Tatiana tilted her head.

"Lucy's alliance is meeting there and well, things didn't seem so peachy." Felix scratched the back of his head.

"Hmph. I'm glad they aren't in a good mood." Tatiana crossed her arms. "But that's still sad to hear though. Mind telling me who you're voting for?"

"They told me to go vote for Nicholas." Felix said. "He's part of your alliance right?"

"Well yeah but I got a better idea!" Tatiana exclaimed. "I wanna show Nicholas and Nataline that voting alongside the underdog is much better and so I'm gonna be voting for Cassie!"

"Wait, huh?" Felix looked confused.

"Oh sorry I didn't tell you yet but my party wants to help Cassie's party vote out Marvin, but I said that it's not half as fun as voting against the bigger party." Tatiana explained. "Just imagine how shocked Marvin will be when he thinks he's about to go down and yet he managed to stay tonight."

"So that's the talk of the night?" Felix asked. Tatiana nodded vigorously. "That's actually pretty cool!"

"I know right! Come vote with me so I can tell my party to do the same." Tatiana urged. "Then I'll try to help you vote out Nicholas and get Nataline and Terrance on our side and it's back to being the Red Sith team."

"Are you sure that will work? With Terrance not really-" Felix started.

"Oh it's almost time for the ceremony. Catch you later!" Tatiana said and ran down the opposite direction.

"...liking Nataline all that much." Felix finished, blinking as he watched her go.

 **~Confessional~**

 **Felix:** Tatiana might just make this game more fun with her suggestion. It would be cool to avenge Desmond and Arnold by finally getting rid of Cassie. Yeah I think I might just do it. Lucy won't mind, right? She's a challenge threat too after all, plus she has a big alliance. Well, big-ish I guess.

 **Tatiana:** Cassie better watch out because Tatiana is lending her blade to the underdogs! This is gonna be so cool.

 **~End Confessional~**

Cyrus and Marvin were at one corner of the conservatory, taking occasional glances towards Cassie, Valerie, and Phoebe on the other side.

"Looks like you're screwed now." Cyrus smirked at Marvin as he leaned against a tree.

"Not yet." Marvin said firmly. "It isn't over yet."

"And what are you gonna do? Vote her out?" Cyrus raised an eyebrow. "Even if I will join you in this, we literally only have two votes against three."

"The others will do the rest." Marvin said.

"What are you talking about? You saw how the challenge went. You saw how they felt. There's gonna be confusion. People's votes will go haywire." Cyrus pointed out.

"Maybe. Or maybe not." Marvin shrugged. "Still curious on how this elimination ceremony will go, but I won't give up. So what do you say?" He glanced at the emo boy. The latter stared back at him for a short moment and sighed.

"Sure. Whatever you say." He patted Marvin on the shoulder. "I'm with you. Despite everything we've been through."

"Then I really hope Cassie goes home tonight." Marvin said and glanced back at Cassie, who caught him staring and adjusted her cowboy hat.

Meanwhile, Cassie, Valerie, and Phoebe were at the other side of the conservatory also talking strategy.

"Phoebe, we gotta have to talk about this." Cassie said solemnly as she looked at the doll faced girl. "Valerie and I have been talkin'..." She gestured towards the flirt, urging her to say something. Valerie sighs.

"We plan on voting for Marvin tonight." Valerie finished for her. "I know I know. It's not sexy that we're voting off your boyfriend. But it's just...he's been doing side alliances." She tried to explain. "He admitted as much."

"I k-know it's sad but I'm n-not sure." Phoebe frowned. "Can't w-we just talk to h-him? P-Please?" She pleaded.

"I wish we can." Cassie sighed and tipped her hat backward. "Really wish we can. But we're outta time and I ain't riskin' someone who does these nasty side alliances."

"Even though he is your boyfriend and part of the original Green Drell." Valerie shook her head and crossed her arms. "It's not easy I know. But I guess, I guess this is what it means to really be in the merge."

"The m-merge?" Phoebe considered them for a long moment. "I d-don't know. I still c-can't decide yet." She panicked and buried her face in her hands.

"Um, s-sure thing Phoebe." Valerie tried to calm her down. "Look you still got time to think it over before the ceremony starts. We just hope you'll make the right choice here." She glanced at Cassie, but the latter was busy glaring down at Marvin, who returned the gesture in silence.

 **~Confessional~**

 **Marvin:** I can't let her be the one to take Phoebe to the finals. Phoebe won't stand a chance against her!

 **Cassie:** Marvin can say he be the one protecting Phoebe, but all he's tryin' to do is making her sad and worried. I ain't letting him get away with what he's done. Phoebe's gotta understand that.

 **Marvin:** I have to make it through this ceremony. I only want what's best for Phoebe. I only want her to grow outside of Cassie's shadow. This isn't fair.

 **Cassie:** I ain't got a clue what Marvin's issue is but it sure ain't helping us getting rid of the real competition like Nicholas an' Lucy. Doesn't he care about us anymore? Well he ain't getting rid of me that easily!

 **Marvin:** This challenge was so confusing for me, but I can't let it distract me now. Especially not now, when I'm so close to getting Cassie eliminated.

 **Cassie:** The challenge was tiring in itself but we all gotta face the elimination ceremony by the end of the day. Gotta stay focused for my alliance.

 **Marvin:** Sorry Cassie but it's nothing personal really. You're strong and social, two dangerous traits to have in the merge. To top it all off you got a solid alliance. I wish I have what you have, but I'm playing my game differently. I won't run away now, so let's settle this.

 **Cassie:** I really consider ya a friend, Marvin, so it's a mighty shame that it's gotta end this way. I hope yer quick on the draw, cuz there ain't any alliance that will save ya this time.

 **~End Confessional~**

* * *

 **(Elimination Ceremony)**

The contestants all gathered outside the conservatory, where twelve steel chairs are seen and with Chris waiting for them with a cart containing eleven space food containers. He grinned as the contestants took their seats, looking around uneasily and a bit downcast from the challenge earlier. Terrance and Nataline continued to glare each other down, Jude won't look at Lucy in the eyes and is keeping to himself, Marvin glanced at Phoebe who returned his gaze with a very emotional expression.

"Welcome final twelve!" Chris announced. "I see Marietta did a good job on the challenge if you're here looking worse than usual."

"I wanna go to sleep now." Felix sighed.

"You think you'll have a good night's sleep after everything that happened in the challenge?" Chris smirked.

"I'll have a good night's sleep once I know who'll go home." Lucy grinned evilly. "And I have a good feeling about this."

"We shall see about that." Chris chuckled. "When I call your name, you're safe and you get this space food container. You all know by now what happens if you don't so let's get on with this." Everyone nodded and waited for him to start. "Safe for tonight is obviously the one with immunity, Lucy." He tossed a container to her, who caught it and grinned.

"Also safe are...Nataline." The lady caught hers with a grateful smile.

"Valerie." The flirt got hers and kissed it happily.

"Jude." He got his and didn't react much.

"Terrance." The techie boy got his and adjusted his glasses as he just stared at it.

"Phoebe." The doll faced girl panicked a bit and failed to catch hers.

"Cyrus." Cyrus got his and casually threw it away shortly after.

"Felix." Felix grinned widely and caught his.

"Tatiana." The gamer girl happily got hers and tossed it in the air before catching it again.

"Nicholas, Cassie, and Marvin." Chris started. "The three of you have votes against you. But one who is also safe tonight is...Nicholas." The host tossed the container to Nicholas, who caught it easily.

Marvin and Cassie stared each other down, while some others looked confused at the development.

"What is happening?" Lucy narrowed her eyes at the scene, her red eye glowing.

"Hmm?" Terrance raised his eyebrow that the turn of events. "These two, huh?"

"I hope this works." Tatiana giggled to herself.

"Cassie, Marvin, one of you will be going home tonight." Chris said dramatically and slowly.

"Ya ready to settle this?" Cassie asked him.

"Ready as I'll ever be." Marvin shrugged.

"And the last person safe for tonight is..." Chris started.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

"...Cassie!" He announced and tossed the container to the rancher girl, who caught it in shock and then breathed a sigh of relief.

"Yes!" Valerie exclaimed and hugged Cassie tightly. "You're safe!"

"As planned." Nicholas muttered to himself with a short nod.

"Sorry dude." Cyrus looked at Marvin, who was looking down at the ground. "And for once, I mean it. Sorry you had to go."

"It's alright." Marvin assured him. "I just hope she'll understand." He looked at Phoebe and the latter stared back at him, a look of sorrow in her eyes.

"M-Marvin..." Phoebe held back her tears as she rushed over to him and hugged him. "I'm s-sorry! I just...I d-didn't want you to do this anymore."

"What do you mean?" Marvin asked as he hugged her back. Cassie and Valerie went to see what was going on.

"You're s-such a good and k-kind person." Phoebe said. "I can't s-stand to w-watch you betray your f-friends like this. N-Not for me. Because i-it'll make you a mean p-person one day."

"Phoebe..." Marvin looked visibly sad and looked down. "I'm sorry for what I did. I know I betrayed the alliance. I voted out Jane and I make Cassie doubt our friendship. So I guess, elimination does suit me."

"Hey hey hey, don't say that." Valerie tried to console him. "Honestly you deserve to play more than some people I can name."

Marvin broke off the hug. "Thanks anyway. But I'll be fine now. No hard feelings, really. Nothing I can do about it anyway." He shrugged.

"Wow, that was so undramatic on your end." Chris yawned. "Hopefully the next elimination is better."

"Lay off him." Cassie frowned at the host.

"You're right." Chris chuckled. "I should get back to business. Marvin, you have been voted out and will leave this game at 12th place. Any last words?"

"I guess I wish the best for my former alliance." Marvin looked towards Cassie, Valerie, and then Phoebe. "And I just wanna thank Cyrus for also being my friend. We don't always see eye-to-eye, but honestly he isn't a bad person."

"Same here." Cyrus rubbed his arm. "Look I'm not good with this sappy farewell stuff, but still, hope you have fun in the resort."

"I'll try." Marvin said.

"Hey dude. Catch." Terrance tossed him his emblem, to which Marvin took. "At least hold on to it in your last moments here."

"You make it sound like he's gonna die or something." Tatiana frowned.

"Thanks." Marvin smiled a bit as he stared down at his emblem fondly.

"So long, Marvin." Cassie tipped her hat to him in salute and offered to shake his hand. Marvin was about to reach out to shake hers when the white light shone down on him and took his avatar out of the virtual world.

"That ruined the moment." Valerie deadpanned at Chris.

"If anything, it was dramatic. No closure means more drama!" Chris exclaimed. "And I can tell it affected at least one person."

"M-Marvin..." Phoebe was looking up at where he disappear with a downcast expression on her face.

"Lucy, you'll be joining the past immunity winners in the mansion. The rest of you can go." Chris said before opening up the portal that leads back to the sci-fi mansion.

 **~Votes~**

 **Lucy:** I vote for Nicholas and this better do the trick! I hate him even more now that he revealed what I am in the challenge. *her red eye glows angrily*

 **Nicholas:** It is time for Marvin to go. Though Cassie may be a bigger threat, Marvin has a sound strategy that may benefit him greatly in the long run. I need to stop it while I can.

 **Nataline:** Tatiana came up to me earlier saying how she has the votes to vote out Cassie, and honestly I wanna join her in this but the only other people that might tell her this are those from Lucy's alliance. I can't trust them so I'll stick to voting for Marvin. Hopefully Tatiana sees this too and votes correctly.

 **Terrance:** My vote goes to Nicholas, as planned. Maybe with the confusion from the challenge, our votes might be the only ones on track and he'll actually leave. Because the sooner he goes, the sooner Nataline can go too. **  
**

**Valerie:** Sorry Marvin, really. But I gotta vote for you. Please please please no hard feelings. We can still be friends when all this is over.

 **Jude:** Lucy wants to go vote out Nicholas so I vote for him. I wonder, I wonder if she's doing it for us or for her personal satisfaction.

 **Felix:** I'm with Tatiana on this one so I vote for Cassie! Can't wait to see the look on her face.

 **Tatiana:** Cassie won't know what hit her! I vote for her!

 **Cassie:** Marvin, it's been really good that I met ya. Ya were a great alliance member and a friend. But ya went ashtray and now I have to vote you out.

 **Cyrus:** Time to go help Marvin make his stand against his former alliance. It's good for inspiration but I actually do want to see him win this. I vote for Cassie.

 **Marvin:** My vote goes to Cassie. I'm not gonna run around making alliances anymore. Time to end this now.

 **Phoebe:** *she sniffs* I t-thought long a-and hard a-about w-who to v-vote for...and I t-think I will vote f-for Marvin. I'm r-really sorry, but I c-can't take it anymore. What h-he's doing, it i-isn't like him at all. W-What's wrong with h-him? W-What happened to h-him?

 **~Eliminated~**

(24th place) Richard - The Maestro

(23rd place) Delilah - The Serpent

(22nd place) Harvey - The Chill Guy

(21st place) Betty - The Phone Addict

(20th place) Wesley - The Blue Blood

(19th place) Shane - The Lone Wolf

(18th place) Ivy - The Distant Cloud

(17th place) Sarah - The Rocker Girl

(16th place) Nelly - The Arrogant Nerd

(15th place) Jane - The Survival Expert

(14th place) Desmond - The Jack of all Trades

(13th place) Arnold - The Soccer Player

 **(12th place) Marvin - The Curious Man**

* * *

Chris stood once more at the entrance of the conservatory, grinning widely at the camera. "With that folks, looks like Marvin isn't meant to be part of the real merge cast after all!" He laughed. "But worry not because more drama is yet to come! Will Phoebe manage to recover from this loss? Will Lucy ever get rid of Nicholas? Will Tatiana's asset ever be ready for action again? If you think Cassie and Marvin's endgame duel is good, just wait till you see what else is in store next time on Total...Drama...Sci-Fi Showdown!" He spread out his arms dramatically as the camera turned off.

* * *

 **Author's note time! Wow, says me who hasn't updated in nearly a year. But anyway, back to analyzing characters. Marvin was supposed to have this passive role in the story that turned major when he started making side deals. All this stemmed from his relationship with Phoebe, and without that, his existence as a character would practically be useless. As for his final duel with Cassie, I wanted it to represent a confused state from the others as well as a determined state from the both of them regarding Phoebe's future. Both had similar ideals yet different methods on how to achieve it and so it's up to you to decide whether what Marvin did was right or wrong. Sorry to all his fans out there, but he just wasn't too quick on the draw. Till next time. :) XBloodLegendX**


End file.
